Efforts to end poaching by Indian fishermen in northern Sri Lankan coastal waters have continually failed, despite two decades of talks between the two neighbours, the latest move being reviving a proposal to license Indian fishermen. "If the Navy arrests all the poachers, the problem can be solved.”Poaching by Indian trawlers has been getting worse," he added. Harmonious FishingFishermen from Pudukkottai, Tamil Nadu on a trawler heading to the Palk Strait, where they frequently cross into Sri Lankan waters to get a better catch. And, he added, neither the Sri Lanka Coastguard nor the Sri Lanka Navy has the capacity to check each and every boat to ensure whether they have a licence or not. "Sri Lankan fishermen poach into Indian and Maldivian waters; Indian fishermen enter Pakistani and Bangladeshi waters, and Japanese and Taiwanese trawlers roam around the world."

Source: The Nation May 13, 2021 10:30 UTC