Navy seizes 02 Indian fishing boats and apprehends 16 Indian fishermen for poaching in Sri Lankan waters

A search operation conducted by the Sri Lanka Navy led to the seizure of 02 Indian fishing boats and apprehension of 16 Indian fishermen, poaching in Sri Lankan waters. This special operation was conducted off the Kachchativu Island, Jaffna on 23rd October 2024.

The Navy continues to conduct regular patrols and operations in Sri Lankan waters to curb illegal fishing practices of foreign fishing boats, taking into account the impact of those practices on the livelihood of local fishermen.

As an extension of these efforts, the Northern Naval Command deployed Fast Attack Craft attached to the Command to send away a cluster of Indian fishing boats, having spotted they were engaging in illegal fishing in Sri Lankan waters off the Kachchativu Island. The operation resulted in the seizure of 02 Indian fishing boats and apprehension of 16 Indian fishermen continued to remain in Sri Lankan waters.

The seized boats (02) together with Indian fishermen (16) were brought to the Kankesanthurai Harbour and they were handed over to the Regional Director Sri Lanka Coast Guard Northern Region for onward legal proceedings.

With this recent apprehension, the Navy and Coast Guard have seized a total of 61 Indian fishing boats and 450 Indian fishermen poaching in Sri Lankan waters in 2024, and subsequently handed them over to authorities for legal proceedings.