To prevent poaching, environmental damage:

Special Task Force to protect Lankan waters

by P. Krishnaswamy

The Ministry of Fisheries and Aquatic Resource Development together with the Sri Lankan Navy and other defence authorities will shortly establish a Special Task Force to safeguard the Sri Lankan territorial waters from being unduly exploited and depleted of its fertile fish and coral resources, Minister Rajitha Senaratne told the Sunday Observer.

Foreign fishing vessels and trawlers, especially from India, continue to poach in Sri Lankan waters in spite of Government-to-Government agreements clearly demarcating and mutually agreeing on maritime boundaries, the Minister said.

The use of non-traditional and highly mechanised fishing equipment, bottom trawling and other detrimental fishing methods employed by a large number of poaching vessels are causing environmental disasters while also contributing to the depletion and destruction of the fertile fish and coral resources, he said.

He and the Ministry Secretary held a conference a few days ago with the Secretary to the Ministry of Defence and the Navy Commander on establishing the Special Task Force, the Minister said. After taking the decision, he also met a delegation of the Beach Sheine Owners' Association, representing over 400,000 fishermen throughout the country, and they were very happy about the decision, he said. The Navy will now monitor the entire sea around Sri Lanka, he said. He said that he will also take up this matter with the authorities of the Indian Government during his proposed visit to India.

A 23-member delegation of the Northern Fishermen's Associations was on a visit to India from August 16 - 22 for discussions with delegations of their Tamil Nadu counterparts on issues of mutual interest. Chairman of the Jaffna District Fishermen's Cooperative Societies Federation S. Thavaratnam said the proposals presented at the meetings are now being discussed by the 117 rural fishermen's associations of the Northern Province. On finalisation, they will be submitted to the Government for consideration for arriving at a bilateral agreement with India. When asked for his comments, Minister Senaratne said that certain clauses of the proposals were detrimental to the interests of Sri Lanka's fishing industry and they need to be studied carefully before taking any decision.