At the discussion held at the Auditorium of the Fisheries Ministry on 10-08-2023, Fisheries Minister Douglas Devananda stated that all the necessary actions will be taken promptly in order to stop the illegal method of fishing using dynamites and other explosives.
The Minister stated that the President Ranil Wickremasinghe has instructed him to take immediate actions to stop fishing by using Jell Water (Dynamites) which destroys the marine resources in a large scale. The Minister added that accordingly, this discussion is arranged and instructed the relevant officials including the secretary to the Ministry of Fisheries Mrs. Indu Rathnayaka to inform the cabinet in this regard and to prepare a Cabinet Paper.
The Minister further stated that the marine resources in Trincomalee, Kalpitiya, Mannar and in the Southern Province have been destroyed by the use of dynamites for fishing and instructed to inform the Ministry of Defence and the District Secretaries and take all the necessary actions through the Defence forces.
Expressing further views the Minister requested to provide information about the persons who use dynamites for fishing and to make him aware of the actions to be taken to stop the supply route of Dynamites and instructed the Navy, Police and the Civil Defence force to carry out raids. At the discussion, it was stated that there are provisions in the Fisheries Act and in the Ordinance to prevent firearms and harmful explosives, in order to take necessary legal actions.
The Minister further instructed the officials if only the officials of the NARA institute are not sufficient enough to identify the fish destroyed by the use of Dynamites, a mechanism should be prepared to deploy officials of the fisheries department in the relevant areas who carry out raids to identify the fish caught by the use of Dynamites and to provide funds legally in this regard.
A group of officials of the Ministry of Fisheries including the Secretary to the Ministry Mrs. Indu Rathnayaka, the Director General of the Fisheries Department Mr. Susantha Kahawaththa, Additional Secretary (Technology) Mr. Dhammika Ranathunga, the Director-in-Charge of Environment of the Police Department and the higher officials of Navy and the Civil Defence Force attended the discussion.
