A multi-day fishing vessel belonging to Sri Lanka has been seized in the waters of Madagascar for illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing activities.
Eight fishermen in that vessel are currently in prison in Madagascar and the Deputy Minister of Fisheries, Aquatic and Ocean Resources Rathna Gamage said on 23rd of July that government has initiated intensive intervention to secure their release. Family members of the arrested fishermen met the Deputy Minister on 23rd of July and requested to intervene for their release.
Details of the Incident
The multi-day fishing vessel bearing the number IMUL-A-0899-CHW (Ruth Baba -06) departed from the Wellamankara Fishery Harbour on 25th of April and was apprehended by the ANTSANTSA Fisheries Patrol Vessel on 2nd of June while engaging in illegal fishing activities within the Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) of Madagascar. It is also reported that the vessel failed to produce the necessary documents to enter Madagascar’s EEZ.
During the inspection of the vessel by the Madagascar authorities, it was also revealed that its navigation data and AIS (Automatic Identification System) records had been erased. Therefore, the Fisheries Monitoring Centre (F.M.C.) has not been able to observe the track of the vessel. The vessel did not have a permit or a valid fishing license issued by the Madagascar authorities, and it was initially difficult to confirm the vessel’s flag state, since the flag had not been hoisted at the time of apprehension.
A significant harvest of sharks was found on the vessel, including 16,125 kg of frozen whole shark heads, 1,618 kg of dried shark fillets, 23 kg of dried shark fins and 4 kg of dried shark gills. Environmental Investigation Police Officers of Madagascar have concluded that the shark species found on the vessel are listed under Appendix II of the CITES (Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora).
Government intervention and measures
The Ministry of Fisheries was initially made aware of the seizure through a WhatsApp message received on 11th of June 2025, which was forwarded to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on the same day. However, the owner of the vessel has not made any official notification to the ministry or the Department of Fisheries regarding the incident, and it is reported that the vessel owner has pressured even the families of the arrested fishermen not to inform them about this.
The case is being heard in the courts of Madagascar, where the hearings are conducted in French. Director General of the Department of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources, Susantha Kahawatte has stated that "In this situation, since our fishermen speak Sinhala, the case that was scheduled to be held on (22nd of July) has been postponed to 04th of August due to the unavailability of a Sinhala and French interpreter,".
Deputy Minister Rathna Gamage discussed the matter with the First Secretary of the Sri Lankan Embassy in Seychelles and requested the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to find a suitable interpreter. Deputy Minister Rathna Gamage said that as soon as an interpreter is available, the case will be taken up for hearing immediately and steps will be taken to release the fishermen and bring them back to Sri Lanka. The Ministry of Fisheries and the Department of Fisheries are actively intervening in this regard, and officials including Dr. B. K. Kolitha Kamal Jinadasa, Secretary to the Ministry of Fisheries, Aquatic and Ocean Resources, and Susantha Kahawatte, Director General of the Fisheries and Aquatic Resources Department, who met the families of the arrested fishermen, have sought information from them.
Instructions to the fishing community
The Ministry of Fisheries emphasizes that such unfortunate situations are being faced due to illegal fishing activities and violations of maritime boundaries of other countries. Such incidents create an unfavorable global image on Sri Lanka and an immense effort and money has to be spent to rescue the arrested fishermen. It is also emphasized that actions such as deactivation of VMS machines make it difficult for the government to intervene.
Therefore, we kindly request all fishing communities, especially vessel owners, not to enter the exclusive economic zones of other countries and engage in illegal fishing activities, but to harvest fish only in international waters, engage in fishing activities legally and return to the island. Deputy Minister Rathna Gamage further emphasized that such inconveniences can be avoided by acting legally.
