Thirty-six people were arrested for illegal fishing in a series of operations conducted between July 16 and 31, the Sri Lanka Navy has said.
Four of the arrests came from a joint Navy and Police operation on July 16 at the Salpearu coastal area in Nilaveli, where the suspects were found fishing with winches and tractors in breach of fisheries regulations. Two tractors used in the operation were seized.
A further 32 people were arrested in naval operations across coastal waters between July 17 and 31. Seventeen dinghies and one cab used in the activities were taken into custody, along with a quantity of sea cucumbers.
The operations were run by the Eastern, Northern, North Central and Northwestern Naval Commands, covering Salpearu, Thuduwa, Pigeon Island, Sudaikuda, Alampil, Chilawaththai, Kaddaikaadu Kevil in Jaffna, Vankalapadu in Talaimannar and Ippantivu off Kalpitiya.
The suspects, along with the fishing boats, vehicles, prohibited equipment and seized sea cucumbers, were handed to Department of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources offices at Kuchchaveli, Cod Bay, Muthur, Mullaitivu, Jaffna, Mannar and Puttalam for legal proceedings.
The Navy reports these enforcement figures in fortnightly batches, and the late-July total is down on earlier rounds. Operations over the same fortnight in May produced 44 arrests along with eight dinghies, two canoes and seven tractors.
Winch and tractor fishing, banned under fisheries regulations, uses heavy machinery on shore to haul nets through coastal shallows, and is targeted for the damage it does to seabed habitat and juvenile fish stocks. Sea cucumbers, harvested for export to East Asian markets, are subject to separate licensing controls.
