'Ensuring the livelihood of the fishing community is our responsibility' – An emphasis from the Minister"
A prominent discussion was held on 16th of October at the auditorium of Fisheries Ministry with the aim of formulating a joint operational mechanism to curb illegal fishing activities which destroy marine resources in the Northern and Eastern provinces and pose a serious threat to the livelihood of the legal fishing community.
The meeting was co-chaired by the Minister of Fisheries, Aquatic and Ocean Resources, Hon. Ramalingam Chandrasekar, and the Deputy Minister of Defence, Hon. Major General (Retd) Aruna Jayasekara, and was attended by the Secretary to the Ministry of Defence, Air Vice Marshal (Retd) Sampath Thuyakontha, Commander of the Navy Vice Admiral Kanchana Banagoda, Member of Parliament Mylvaganam Jegadeswaran, Chief of National Intelligence, Senior DIGs of police in charge of the Eastern and Northern Provinces, representatives of the Police Narcotics Bureau, Commanders in charge of the Eastern and Northern Navy Commands (via online mode) and Director General of the Fisheries Department, Susantha Kahawatte, Assistant District Directors of Batticaloa, Jaffna, Trincomalee and Mullaitivu representing the Northern and Eastern Provinces.
At the outset of the discussion, a detailed explanation was given on the measures taken by the Sri Lanka Navy to curb illegal fishing activities and the upcoming operations.
Here, the strategies that can be taken to curb illegal activities such as the use of dynamite, prohibited fishing methods and Indian trawler attacks which were carried out by a small group of people targeting areas such as Pulmude, Kokilai, Mullaitivu and Vadamarachchi West in Jaffna were discussed at length. The Assistant Directors of the respective districts explained the situation prevailing in their areas.
Speaking at the meeting, Minister Ramalingam Chandrasekar stated that: "The livelihood of thousands of legal fishermen has been destroyed due to a small number of people engaging in illegal activities. The Navy, Police and the Department of Fisheries should jointly set up roadblocks and launch special operations in targeted areas to curb this situation. Simultaneously, a comprehensive awareness program on the relevant rules and regulations and the damage caused by illegal fishing activities is also being implemented. Our aim is not only to punish, but also to protect the legitimate fishing community and ensure their livelihood."
Secretary to the Defense Ministry Air Vice Marshal (Retd) Sampath Thuyakontha said, "This is a serious issue that affects even for the national security. "The Ministry of Defense will provide full support to the implementation of this law through good coordination between the Navy, Police and the Ministry of Fisheries," he emphasized.
During this discussion, attention was also drawn to the decision taken earlier regarding the use of tractors for pulling dragnets. Accordingly, it was agreed again to strictly implement the decision to ban the use of tractors completely for pulling dragnets from 1st of January. It was recalled that this decision had been reached in a previous discussion held under the patronage of the Minister and the Deputy Minister, and all dragnet owners had been informed in writing on this matter, while providing an adequate grace period.
