Sri Lankan authorities took 43 Indian trawlers into custody in 2025 and a further 23 so far in 2026, Chief Government Whip Dr. Nalinda Jayatissa told Parliament, as he set out the government’s position on illegal fishing in Sri Lankan waters.
Responding to a question on Indian fishermen operating illegally inside Sri Lankan waters, Jayatissa said the issue remains under constant discussion at the diplomatic level between the two countries, NewsFirst reported.
The distinction he drew
Jayatissa separated two things that are frequently run together. The presence of Indian visitors in Sri Lanka should not be unnecessarily politicised, he said, noting that Indian nationals have arrived in the country for many reasons under successive governments. Illegal fishing by Indian trawlers, he said, is a separate and serious matter that has been consistently raised with Indian authorities.
He said Sri Lanka has used every available diplomatic channel, including discussions with Indian ministers, officials and diplomatic representatives during bilateral engagements in both countries, and pointed to a recent Indian Supreme Court ruling related to the matter. Negotiations have shown encouraging signs, he said, and are focused on protecting marine resources and the livelihoods of local fishermen, with both the Fisheries Ministry and the Foreign Ministry involved.
The depletion argument
Jayatissa said the decline of fish stocks is one of the most serious challenges facing the fisheries sector, citing reports indicating marine resources have fallen steadily over many years. Growing competition for increasingly scarce resources, he said, is one of the key reasons tensions keep arising in the industry.
The app nobody has seen
Samagi Jana Balawegaya MP Hector Appuhamy used the exchange to ask what had become of a previously announced mobile application meant to help fishermen identify fish-rich areas at sea. He said the fishing community had placed significant hopes on the initiative, which was expected to cut costs and make operations more efficient, and called on the government to give Parliament an update on its progress.
NewsFirst does not record an answer to that question.
Not reported
The filing does not say how many of the 66 trawlers seized across the two years have been released, what happened to their crews, or how the 2026 figure compares with the same point last year. The Navy has separately reported apprehending 55 people for illegal fishing and smuggling in October, and the Katchatheevu question was discussed at a Pathfinder roundtable earlier in the week.
No other verified newsroom had filed its own account of this exchange at the time of writing.