Fisherman arrested for illegal fishing with tractor-mounted winches in Maggona

A fisherman who was engaged in illegal seine net (Madel) fishing using winches has been arrested yesterday (23) along with two tractors mounted with winches.

Officers from the Kalutara District Fisheries Office apprehended the suspect while he was operating the fishing nets with winches near the Kudawa Fisheries Harbour in Maggona.

The arrested fisherman, a resident of the Maggona area, is scheduled to be produced before the Kalutara Magistrate’s Court.

The arrest comes in the backdrop of a recent Satyagraha campaign launched in front of the Presidential Secretariat by a group of fishermen demanding the lifting of the government’s ban on the use of tractor-mounted winches for seine net (Madel) fishing.  

Accordingly, the Satyagraha campaign which had been launched on February 05 continued for nine consecutive days before it was called off following discussions held between representatives of the fishermen and President Anura Kumara Dissanayake on February 13.