The fishermen’s unions of the Northern Province and Centre for Environmental Justice have filed a writ petition in the Court of Appeal seeking an order directing the IGP to take actions against Indian fishermen entering into Sri Lankan waters. The Court of Appeal today fixed this petition for support on May 5.
Petitioners state that many Indian trawlers entering into Sri Lankan waters is one of the major issues in the Sri Lankan fishery sector. They operate in Sri Lankan waters without a license, using illegal fishing methods. It deprives the livelihoods of Sri Lanka fishermen, national fish production, export income of fishing and rich ecosystem of the Sri Lankan waters and poses a threat to national security.
The petitioners state that destructive fishing practices result in irreversible damage to the aquatic habitats and ecosystems. Destructive fishing practices and over fishing challenges the sustainability of fishery industry as well as aquatic habitats and ecosystems.
The petitioners are further seeking a writ of Mandamus directing the authorities to give full effect to the Fisheries (Regulation of Foreign Fishing) Act No.15 of 1979 (Amendment) Act No. 1 of 2018.
The Director General of the Department of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources, Minister of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources, the Commander of Sri Lanka Navy, Inspector General of Police and several others were named as respondents of the petition.
The petitioners state that although the crossing of maritime boundaries for fishing purposes was prohibited after ratifying maritime boundary agreements in 1974 and 1976, the Indian fishermen routinely cross the International Maritime Boundary Line (IMBL) by violating the agreements between two countries. Indian fishermen are entering into Sri Lankan Historic Waters and Territorial Sea to carry out fishing operations, as most of the fishery resources in the Indian side of the IMBL have been already over-exploited and depleted by Indian trawlers.
They further stated that there has been a sudden increase in reported illegal fishing by Indian trawlers over the last few months in Sri Lanka’s Historic Waters and Territorial Sea as the result of the failure of the respondents to arrest foreign fishermen who illegally enter into Sri Lankan waters.
The fishermen’s unions of the Northern Province and Centre for Environmental Justice have filed a writ petition in the Court of Appeal seeking an order directing the IGP to take actions against Indian fishermen entering into Sri Lankan waters.
The Court of Appeal today fixed this petition for support on May 5.
Petitioners state that many Indian trawlers entering into Sri Lankan waters is one of the major issues in the Sri Lankan fishery sector. They operate in Sri Lankan waters without a license, using illegal fishing methods. It deprives the livelihoods of Sri Lanka fishermen, national fish production, export income of fishing and rich ecosystem of the Sri Lankan waters and poses a threat to national security.
The petitioners state that destructive fishing practices result in irreversible damage to the aquatic habitats and ecosystems. Destructive fishing practices and over fishing challenges the sustainability of fishery industry as well as aquatic habitats and ecosystems.
The petitioners are further seeking a writ of Mandamus directing the authorities to give full effect to the Fisheries (Regulation of Foreign Fishing) Act No.15 of 1979 (Amendment) Act No. 1 of 2018.
The Director General of the Department of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources, Minister of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources, the Commander of Sri Lanka Navy, Inspector General of Police and several others were named as respondents of the petition.
The petitioners state that although the crossing of maritime boundaries for fishing purposes was prohibited after ratifying maritime boundary agreements in 1974 and 1976, the Indian fishermen routinely cross the International Maritime Boundary Line (IMBL) by violating the agreements between the two countries. Indian fishermen are entering into Sri Lankan Historic Waters and Territorial Sea to carry out fishing operations, as most of the fishery resources in the Indian side of the IMBL have been already over-exploited and depleted by Indian trawlers.
They further stated that there has been a sudden increase in reported illegal fishing by Indian trawlers over the last few months in Sri Lanka’s Historic Waters and Territorial Sea as the result of the failure of the respondents to arrest foreign fishermen who illegally enter into Sri Lankan waters.
