Navy Saturday (April 02) has arrested 17 local fishermen in two separate incidents for allegedly engaged in illegal fishing practices. Naval personnel attached to SLNS Vijaya in Kalpitiya arrested seven local fishermen with three Fiber Glass Dinghies (FGDs) engaged in illegal fishing between Udappuwa and Sinnapadu sea areas on 2nd April 2016. A pair of diving fins and 5 Oxygen tanks were also taken into custody during the arrest. The arrested persons and the items were handed over to the Assistant Director of Fisheries (Puttalam) for further investigations. In a separate incident on the same day, naval personnel attached to Sri Lanka Naval Dockyard arrested ten local fishermen, along with a Fiber Glass Dinghy, engaged in illegal fishing using unauthorized nets in the seas off Norway Island, Trincomalee. During the arrest, a pairs of diving fins and a Hebili (purse seine) net were taken into custody. The suspects and belongings were produced to the Trincomalee Harbor Police for further legal action. The use of purse seine (Laila & Surukku) nets and explosives for fishing are strictly proscribed in Sri Lanka. The Minister of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources Development has given orders to arrest the fishermen engaged in illegal fishing practices and confiscate their craft along with the fishing gear.
The Official Government News Portal of Sri Lanka 2016