Sri Lanka Navy and Coast Guard patrol craft attached to the Northern Naval Command whilst on routine patrol, arrested 12 Indian fishermen and 03 fishing trawlers for poaching in the Sri Lankan territorial waters last night (09).
Accordingly, the arrests were made in the island’s territorial waters respectively about 9.5, 7 and 6 nautical miles west off the Delft Island.
These fishermen had ventured into Sri Lankan waters and practiced illegal bottom trawling which is considered as a destructive and banned fishing practice, SLN media unit said.
Having brought the arrested trawlers and fishing gear to the naval base SLNS Elara in Karainagar and fishermen to SLNS Uththara in Kankesanthurei, they are due to be handed over to the Assistant Fisheries Director in Jaffna for onward legal action.
Meanwhile, Sri Lanka Navy on August 03 facilitated repatriation of 77 Indian fishermen, who were released from Sri Lankan custody as a gesture of goodwill, after detaining them for poaching in the island’s territorial waters.
