68 Indian fishermen arrested by Sri Lankan authorities The seizure of 10 boats between 18 and 20 December and for “poaching” in territorial waters has again raised concerns about the fate of the men. It is a matter of comfort and relief that the Indian High Commission in Sri Lanka is working to ensure his early release. Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin in his letter to External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Monday said that Also stressed the need to bring back 75 fishing boats from Sri Lanka, The arrest and subsequent release of Tamil Nadu fishermen has become a routine affair, but there have been cases of deaths. In January 2021, Four fishermen lost their lives in Ramanathapuram district After his ship collided with a Sri Lankan naval craft. A similar case had also come in October in which a fisherman had died. This is why the Pak Bay fishing dispute needs to be resolved soon. The fact that several rounds of discussions at the level of fishermen and governments of both countries have not resulted in any tangible improvement should not stop the quest for continued engagement to solve the humanitarian and livelihood problem. issues.
The dispute between the two countries is rooted in the use of bottom trawlers by fishermen from Tamil Nadu, which is opposed in the northern province of Sri Lanka on the grounds that the trapping damages the marine ecosystem. The practice has been banned in Sri Lanka and there have been movements for strict enforcement of the law. More than anything, Tamil Nadu fishermen should heed the fact that their counterparts on the other side of the Palk Strait are still struggling to unravel the threads of their lives after a brutal civil war. Given that the ambitious ₹1,600-crore plan to replace 2,000 bottom trawlers with deep-sea fishing boats equipped with long lines and gill nets in three years remains hopeless, both the Central and Tamil Nadu governments have to take steps to achieve the same. There is a need to take new initiatives. Fishermen on the ship. The main reason for the failure is the cost component borne by the fishermen, which is 30% of the unit cost of ₹80 lakh; Both the governments take care of the remaining 70%. Apart from raising the unit cost by at least ₹1.2 crore, which would be at the same level as a similar scheme under the Pradhan Mantri Matsya Sampada Yojana (PMSY), governments should increase their share of the subsidy. They should also motivate fishermen to adopt marine cage farming and marine/ocean animal husbandry, all of which were covered under PMMSY. Such an approach is necessary as fishermen find it difficult to confine themselves to the territorial waters of India, given the limited maritime wealth and territory on the Indian side. But, now New Delhi’s priority should be to ensure the speedy release of the 68 fishermen.
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