Sri Lanka may grant fishing licence to Indian fishermen?

Even as the arrest of Tamil Nadu fishermen continues for alleged poaching in Sri Lankan waters, Colombo is considering various options including licensed fishing to break the stalemate over the vexatious issue, The Hindu newspaper reported.

However, talking to The Hindu , Defence Secretary Karunasena Hettiarachchi said that nothing had been finalised as of now. Declining to divulge details on other options, he said “everything is under consideration.”

Asserting that the Fisheries Ministry has not been kept informed of the Sri Lanka government’s plans, Secretary W.M.M.R. Adikari says that as of now, mechanised trawling or industrial trawling has been banned temporarily. “Very soon, it will be made permanent and we are taking steps towards this direction,” she adds.

Tamil fishermen of the Northern Province, which is struggling to return to normality after a civil war of over 25 years, have been complaining that fishermen from Tamil Nadu, while engaged in illegal poaching, are using mechanised bottom trawling. This is causing havoc to the marine eco-system as it scrapes the seabed.

-Agencies