Frontline Socialist Party condemns proposed Fisheries Amendment Bill as threat to public ownership of Lankan waters

Education Secretary of the Frontline Socialist Party, Pubudu Jayagoda, last Wednesday said that the government is poised to introduce new legislation amending the Fisheries and Aquatic Resources Act No 2 of 1996, effectively terminating public ownership of the country’s seas.

Addressing a press conference held at the Center for Society and Religion in Colombo, Jayagoda warned that the proposed changes could undermine the fundamental principle of public ownership, a cornerstone of existing laws governing the seas.

He said that the current legal framework’s core premise establishes the sea surrounding the nation as a resource owned by the people, forming the basis for the regulations stipulated in the Fisheries and Aquatic Resources Act No 2 of 1996.

Jayagoda said that Section 35 of the draft bill grants extensive powers to the Director General of Fisheries to issue licenses. Unlike the previous approach where fishermen were not required to obtain licenses but registered their boats or vessels, the proposed amendment introduces a licensing system with limited quotas to prevent fishermen from surpassing these allocations.

Jayagoda pointed out Section 6(e) of the draft bill, allowing foreigners to acquire fishing licenses, a move unprecedented in the context of Lankan waters. The amendment seeks to segment Lankan waters into zones, leasing these areas to multinational corporations from Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore, and China.

“The Section 8 of the new bill grants the Director General authority to restrict local fishermen from accessing these leased zones,” Jayagoda said adding that the Sections 155 and 144 exempt foreign fishermen from Lankan jurisdiction, unless a bilateral agreement exists, making it challenging for the country to penalize foreign poachers.

Jayagoda said that the amendment bill is a strategic maneuver to commercialize and privatize fishing rights in Lankan waters.

Jayagoda said that the FSP would oppose the proposed legislation and would join other progressive forces against what they perceive as a threat to the people’s rights and interests. He urged the public to unite in thwarting the passage of this bill, emphasizing the imperative need to prevent the potential privatization of the nation’s seas.

Warnakulasuriyage Jude Namal Fernando, Convener of the Fishers Collective, said that they would aunch a campaign involving fishermen from both the North and the South against the draft bill. Fernando demanded the government withdraw the bill and cautioned government officials against seeking votes from villages without addressing this attempt to strip them of centuries-old rights.