35,000 fisher families affected:

Indian delegation due here for talks on cross border fishing

by P. Krishnaswamy

The Government would begin discussions on October 7 with a visiting high-level official delegation of Indian fisheries authorities amidst growing discord among Northern fishermen over the unending presence of poachers in their traditional fishing grounds, depriving them of their livelihood, fisheries sources said. About 35,000 families living along the coastal belt from Mannar to Mullaitivu have been affected due to poaching, the sources said.

Minister of Fisheries and Aquatic Resource Development Dr. Rajitha Senaratne told the Sunday Observer that although he was to meet President Mahinda Rajapaksa and the Navy and coastguard chiefs on September 17 to discuss this crucial issue, the meeting was cancelled at the last moment due to unforeseen circumstances.

The matter would now be discussed with the visiting Indian delegation in an effort to reach a settlement so as to prevent the presence of the unlimited number of Indian poachers and protect the welfare of the Northern fishermen after three decades of oppression at the hands of LTTE terrorists.

With plans already under way for the fishing industry to play a major role in the national economy while also boosting the nutritional standards of the people, wide-ranging infrastructure and other facilities have been provided to the Northern fishermen.

This includes fishing gear, fisheries harbours, surveillance system in the deep seas, marketing and preservation facilities , transport and warehouses, the Minister said.

However, poaching and prohibited methods of fishing, including bottom trawling and the use of mono-filament nets, have continued to dampen the Government's efforts towards achieving that objective, he said.