Two separate enforcement actions against blast fishing were reported on Tuesday — a large seizure in Mullaitivu and a court order destroying a smaller haul landed elsewhere. Neither outlet reported the other operation, and the two are distinct: different weights, different agencies leading, and different stages of the legal process.
Mullaitivu: 3,200kg and an arrest
A 38-year-old woman was arrested after more than 3,200 kilograms of fish allegedly caught using explosives were found at a storage site in the Puthumathalan coastal area of Mullaitivu, Ada Derana reported.
The search was carried out on Monday by the Sri Lanka Naval Ship Gotabhaya of the Eastern Naval Command, together with officers from the Mullaitivu District Office of the Department of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources. Officials said they inspected a suspicious location where the stock had been stored.
The suspect, a resident of Puthukkudiyiruppu, was handed over with the seized fish to the department’s Mullaitivu district office for further legal action.
The second case: a boat seized, the catch destroyed
In a separate operation, the Navy arrested a suspect and seized a fishing boat in connection with the illegal use of dynamite, Daily Mirror reported.
Fisheries officials and a Public Health Inspector jointly examined the catch and found it unfit for human consumption. The stock — more than 200 kilograms — was produced before court, and the court ordered the entire quantity destroyed rather than released to the market.
Authorities said keeping illegally caught fish out of the market protects public health as well as marine resources. Daily Mirror did not name the location, the date of the operation or the court involved.
Why blast fishing is banned
Fishing with dynamite or other explosives is prohibited in Sri Lanka. The blast kills fish indiscriminately across a wide radius, including juveniles and non-target marine life, and damages the seabed and reef structure that fish stocks depend on to recover.
Neither report said what charges the two suspects face, and no other verified newsroom carried either incident.
