By Rathindra Kuruwita

Sri Lanka has a 5,000-boat strong high seas fishing fleet which can go up to 2,000 nautical miles away from Sri Lanka, Commander of the Navy, Vice Admiral Priyantha Perera said.In contrast, the Indian fishing industry, while not as technologically advanced, has expanded to a point of being unsustainable, he said.

“They have a large number of boats, but they can operate only in their coastal seas and then they poach in our territorial waters using disastrous mechanized bottom trawling techniques,” he said.

Vice Admiral Perera highlighted that the Indian fishing industry has expanded beyond a sustainable capacity. Typically, Indian fishermen, operating within their own waters, are permitted to fish on Saturdays, Mondays, and Wednesdays. He noted that, in a few weeks, they will suspend fishing for a three-month period, allowing fish to breed and replenish the ocean.

“However, Indian fishing boats who claim to engage in high seas fishing face no such restrictions. However, instead of going into the high seas these vessels come to Sri Lankan waters and poach here. The area around Delft Island and in the five to 10 nautical mile shallow seas off Point Pedro have a lot of crabs and prawns. This is a high value yield. Sri Lankan vessels go into the high seas and catch tuna, which brings a lot of money. During meetings with Indian counterparts, our Ministry officials asked Indians why they can’t also follow suit,” he said.

Vice Admiral Perera emphasized that Sri Lankan fishing is subject to rigorous regulations. Fishermen based in Sri Lanka’s North are not equipped for high-seas operations; instead, their focus remains on harvesting prawns and crabs, the Navy commander said.

“Compared to South, East and North Central provinces where fishermen are more likely to engage in high seas fishing, there are only a few fisheries harbours in the North. Myliddy Fishery Harbour is the only place the Northern fishermen must dock large boats. One also needs to have other supporting industries in place for high seas fishing, and these, too, are lacking in the North,” he said.

Indian fishermen also destroy large quantities of equipment of Northern fishermen, he said, adding that he Navy has apprehended 15 Indian trawlers along with 110 of their fishermen in Sri Lankan waters so far in 2024.

“This has not put an end to Indian poaching. When we make arrests, they stop coming for a week or two but return in numbers later. On Saturdays, Mondays, and Wednesdays there are about 400 Indian fishing vessels poaching in Sri Lankan waters around Katchatheevu Island. Another 200 operate around KKS and in the East on those days. So, on average around 600 Indian vessels poach in our waters on Saturdays, Mondays, and Wednesdays. We can’t stop them by using excessive force,” he said.

The Navy commander added that the Navy can’t stop such a large number of Indian vessels with three or four boats. This can only be stopped through a change in the way Indians practice their craft.

“It is not practically possible to seize hundreds of fishing vessels. Also these arrests lead to political implications. We must think of everything.”

The relationship between Indian and Sri Lankan fishermen have deteriorated, too, he said. However, the tensions so far are limited to South India and Sri Lanka’s North.

The Navy commander went on to say that this is not an indication of tensions between India and Sri Lanka. “But the solution to this problem seems far off unless the Indians change their practices,” he said.