Sri Lanka Navy, within a period of three months from April to June, has apprehended a total of 422 individuals who were engaged in illegal fishing practices.

They were taken into custody along with 153 fishing boats and other fishing accessories, during special operation carried out in Eastern, South-eastern, North-western, Northern and North Central naval commands, the Navy said in a statement.

According to the Navy, the suspects, aged between 16 and 60, had been fishing without valid passes, using unauthorized nets, engaging in night diving to catch fish, practicing light-coarse fishing, engaging in diving to harvest sea cucumber and fishing in restricted sea areas.

They have been identified as residents of Ampara, Batticaloa, Trincomalee, Mannar, Talaimannar, Puttalam, Chilaw, Negombo, Kilinochchi, Mullaitivu, Jaffna, Anuradhapura, Kegalle and Matara areas.

The suspects, seized fishing vessels and rest of the fishing gear have been handed over to the fisheries inspectors of Kalmunai, Pottuvil, Trincomalee, Batticaloa, Mullaitivu, Kalpitiya, Talaimannar, Kilinochchi, Mannar, Kuchchaveli, Nilaveli, Jaffna, Point Pedro, Karainagar and Puttalam and Harbour Police of Adappan and Trincomalee for onward legal action, the statement read further.

Operations to prevent illegal fishing practices by a handful of people, threatening the sustainability of fish stocks and marine ecosystems, will be continued, the Navy stressed.