India and Sri Lanka to conduct joint study on marine resources in Palk Strait strip

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.