Northern Sri Lankan fishermen seek India’s action over disputes

Indian fishermen are crossing the maritime boundary, the Federation of Jaffna District Fishermen’s Cooperative Society Unions said in a letter submitted at the Indian Consulate

Sri Lanka’s northern fishermen want authorities in India and Sri Lanka to urgently step up action to resolve the long-persisting conflict in the Palk Strait, fearing tensions with Indian fishermen could escalate.

In a letter submitted at the Indian Consulate in Jaffna last week, the Federation of Jaffna District Fishermen’s Cooperative Society Unions pointed to the perils of bottom-trawling and pair-trawling fishing methods — commonly used by Tamil Nadu fishermen — resulting in a drastically smaller catch and frequent damage to their modest fishing gear.

“We are very worried that despite discussing this problem for more than 10 years now, there has been no forward movement or a solution until now. Indian fishermen crossing the maritime boundary and fishing in our waters has resulted in huge losses amounting several crores to our fishermen,” said the letter dated October 10, 2021.