The Sri Lanka Navy arrested 44 individuals during illegal fishing operations across the northern and eastern coasts between 16 and 31 May, the service said on Thursday, in the largest publicly disclosed inshore fisheries enforcement sweep so far this year.
The Eastern and Northern Naval Commands conducted the operations in waters and coastal stretches including Panichchankerni, Soba Island, Polmalkuda, Kinniya, Soodaikuda, Ottamavadi, Alampil, Pudukkudiyiruppu and Chundikulam, Newswire reported, citing the Navy.
Personnel seized eight dinghies, two canoes and seven tractors that were being used in the illegal operations, along with sea cucumbers, commercial explosives and banned fishing gear. The Navy said the suspects had been engaged in fishing using prohibited methods and equipment.
The arrested individuals, together with the vessels, vehicles and equipment, were handed over for further legal action to the Department of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources offices in Batticaloa, Cod Bay, Muthur, Valaichchenai, Kuchchaveli, Mullaitivu and Jaffna, as well as the Pulmoddai Police Station.
The May sweep extends a sustained inshore enforcement campaign by the Navy, which earlier reported the arrest of 77 people in April and a Q1 crackdown that brought in 41 suspects in the same northern and eastern grounds. Commercial explosives and banned methods such as dynamite fishing have been the principal targets, with seizures repeatedly turned over to the Fisheries Department for prosecution under the Fisheries and Aquatic Resources Act.
Source: Newswire.
