The Sri Lanka Navy arrested 77 people for illegal fishing and seized 17 dinghies during operations between April 17 and April 30, NewsFirst reported.
In addition to the boats, naval personnel recovered sea cucumbers, commercial explosives, prohibited fishing gear and six tractors during the two-week sweep along the northern and eastern coasts.
The detained suspects, dinghies and contraband were handed to the Fisheries Inspectors of Kokkilai, Mullaitivu, Jaffna, Valachchenai, Kuchchaveli, Silavathurai and Kinniya for legal action under the Fisheries and Aquatic Resources Act.
The April figures build on the first-quarter Navy crackdown in which 41 suspects were detained between January and March, indicating an acceleration in enforcement against dynamite fishing, banned dragnets and sea-cucumber poaching as the south-west monsoon approaches. Sea cucumbers — protected under quota — fetch high prices in regional export markets and have driven repeat seizures around Mannar and the eastern shoreline.
The Navy did not disclose the nationalities of the suspects or whether any cross-border arrests of Indian trawlers were included in the April total.
Source: NewsFirst.
