The agreement was reached at the sixth
meeting of the India-Sri Lanka Joint Working Group (JWG) on
Fisheries held on Thursday (29) in Colombo where the Sri Lankan side reiterated
the need to protect its marine resources and the livelihood of war-affected
Northern fisherfolk communities. “The
main objective is to determine the current status of the marine resources in
the Strait and the steps that have to be taken urgently to protect them in the
long run as it is subjected to heavy bottom trawling,” Secretary
of the Ministry of Agriculture, Land, Livestock, Irrigation, Fisheries and
Aquatic Resources, M.P.N.M. Wickremasinghe said.
Accordingly, National Aquatic Resources
Research and Development (NARA) and India’s Kochi-based Central
Marine Fisheries Research Institute (CMFRI) are to be involved
in the joint study in the Strait. Both senior officials of NARA and Director
of CMFRI Dr Grinson George took part in this week’s JWG meeting
as well.
During the JWG meeting, the Sri Lankan
delegation emphasised the severe damage caused to marine
resources by Indian fishing vessels using mechanical bottom-trawling in Sri
Lankan waters. The Ministry Secretary
also explained that the discussions centred on how to prevent Indian fishermen
from entering into the country’s territorial waters and engaging in locally
banned fishing method of bottom trawling.
“We have explained to them clearly that the
government cannot go beyond the legal process of prosecuting arrested Indian
fishermen and their vessels. If the Courts decide to confiscate vessels or
release them, it is up to the judicial process,” the Secretary said while
stressing that senior officials from the Attorney General’s department also
made representations on the legal aspect of the newly enacted laws and
regulations.
The Working Group met after a lapse of nearly
two and half years since its last meeting held in March 2022.
The discussions were also focused on the
expeditious release of fishermen arrested by both countries after the
completion of legal proceedings, the strengthening of the hotline maintained by
coast guards of both countries and the status of investigations into deaths of
Indian fishermen in Sri Lankan waters. The
Sri Lankan side also urged for swift action on the request for safe passage
through Indian waters for Sri Lankan multi-day vessels traveling to and from
the Arabian Sea, the Fisheries Ministry said in a statement released after the
meeting.
Following the JWG meeting, the issue was raised
again when Indian High Commissioner Santosh Jha met with President Anura Kumara
Dissanayake on Friday 1 Nov where the President affirmed his commitment to
protect the interests of the fishing community in the North.