Fisheries Department suspends fishing off northern and south-eastern coasts

The Department of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources has suspended fishing activities in several sea areas until further notice, following the Meteorology Department’s warning of strong winds and rough seas.

The ban covers the sea areas extending from Kankesanthurai through Mannar to Kalpitiya, and from Hambantota to Pottuvil, Director General of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources Susantha Kahawatte said. The decision was taken after considering the Met Department’s advisory on hazardous sea conditions.

Kahawatte urged fishermen who have already put out to sea from the affected areas to return safely to shore. Fishing has not been suspended elsewhere, he said, but fishermen in other waters have been advised to remain cautious given the changing conditions.

He acknowledged the difficulties the directive creates for fishing communities but said protecting lives remained the priority. The suspension will stay in force until further notice, and fishermen have been asked to follow subsequent instructions from both the Fisheries Department and the Met Department.

The department acted after the Met Department issued a Red-level advisory for the same coastal stretches, warning that winds could rise to 60-70 kmph at times and that seas would become very rough. That advisory runs until 9.00 a.m. on Friday (31), while the fishing ban has no stated end date.

Context

A formal suspension by the Fisheries Department goes further than the Met Department’s standard advisory, which asks naval and fishing communities not to venture out. The suspension applies to the two coastal segments carrying the highest warning level, both of which sit in the path of the active south-west monsoon.

The affected waters include much of the northern fishing grounds around Mannar and the Kalpitiya peninsula, as well as the south-eastern coast, where multi-day and single-day boats operate from harbours at Pottuvil and Hambantota. Suspensions of this kind cut directly into daily earnings for small-boat operators, who have little means of recovering lost days.

Similar Red-level advisories were issued for the same segments in June during earlier monsoon surges, and warnings covering the Galle-to-Pottuvil stretch were issued in mid-July.