Fishing in Gulf of Mannar and detention of Indian trawlers by Lankan coastguard.

The detention of Indian fisherman near the Kachchatheevu islands by Sri Lankan navy has become bone of contention in Indo-Sri Lankan bilateral relations. India had ceded this island to Sri Lanka in 1974 citing that British India had used the islands for bombing practice and had never occupied it. The continental shelf adjoining the island acts as rich fishing grounds where Indian trawlers catch bountiful fishes but in the process dredge the shallow continental shelf thus harming the bio-diverse marine ecosystem which once damaged would take years to recover. It is this damage caused by Indian trawlers that Sri-Lanka is opposed to and as a retaliatory measure often detains India fishermen along with their boats and trawlers that trespass in Lankan waters near the islands as there is no well defined boundary line between the two nations.

Secondly, maritime border between the two countries is about 400 kilometres spreading along three different areas: the Bay of Bengal in the north, the Palk Bay and the Gulf of Mannar in the centre and the Indian Ocean in the south. In the Palk Bay region, distances between the coasts of the two countries varies between 16 and 45 kms. This means territorial waters of each country in some areas strays into the others if 12 nautical mile criteria is strictly applied.

Thirdly, since the outbreak of Eelam war, Sri Lankan navy has increased vigilance in these waters so as to prevent the supply of arms and ammunition to Tamil militant groups active in Sri Lanka. As a result of this increased vigilance, fishermen from both sides have suffered.

Fourthly, in 1976, through an exchange of letter, both India and Sri Lanka agreed to stop fishing in each other’s waters. However, since fishermen know no boundary, they often violate the boundary at times at great personal risk in search of a good catch.

Lastly, Sri-Lanka seems to be using this issue of detention of fishermen as a bargaining chip to compel India to abstain from voting against it at UNHRC resolution which prescribed an international probe into Sri Lanka’s alleged human rights violation during the Eelam war.

Steps taken by GoI:

• The Indian government has undertaken a census of fishermen, preparing a database of information on fishermen and their boats to be used for more effective monitoring of fishing activities.
• The Indian Coast Guard has also begun installing tracking devices in fishing boats operating in the waters, developed by the ISRO, the tracking device has the ability to send out alerts for fires on board, a sinking vessel, a medical emergency and when the boat is apprehended by another country.
• Educate the Indian fishermen to keep to the Indian side in the high sea.
• Developing fish farming extensively in Indian waters would prevent its fishermen from venturing into other waters in search of a ‘big catch’.
• India can also consider leasing fishing blocks, especially those identified as ‘surplus total available catch’, from Sri Lanka.

Furthermore, India and SriLanka have bilaterally agreed to avoid shooting fisherman who trespass in each others’ territorial waters and undertake coordinated marine patrolling.

By: Abhinav