Thursday, 31 July 2014 00:00
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Is the Indo-Lanka fishermen’s issue about to reach boiling point once again? Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Jayalalithaa has recommenced her push to getting boats of Indian fishermen released from Sri Lankan custody. In yet another letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi she has insisted on the release of fishermen, with protestors threatening to occupy the disputed Kachchatheev Island.
Matters are exacerbated by an almost inexplicable delay in talks, with Sri Lanka, according to reports, still awaiting the appointment of a high level delegation from New Delhi and the firm commitment on dates. As dozens of fishermen from both sides are arrested and livelihood threatened on both sides of the strait, tension is in the inevitable result.
Northern Sri Lanka is home to an estimated 28,000 fishermen who have been affected by illegal poaching of Indian fishermen. Indirectly as many as 100,000 people survive on the sector in this part of the country. Yet, with little political representation, the community remains largely marginalised, with the poaching issue provoking many to leave their traditional way of earning.
They are also unhappy about Colombo’s repeated release of Indian fishermen, especially since it was not reciprocated in the latest instance. With political forces deciding which way the tide turns, local fishermen feel they are merely a pawn in a larger power game.
According to Fisheries and Aquatic Resources Minister Dr. Rajitha Senaratne, the industry loses an estimated $ 730 million worth of fish from illegal poaching from South India. The Government had targeted $ 500 million in revenue for 2013, but has had to keep its expectation low due to the significant losses from poaching.
Fish production in the Districts in the North and East, which increased by 37% to 99,190 metric tons in 2011, continued to increase to 154,974 metric tons in 2013. Sri Lankan studies estimate that an average of 1,056 Indian boats cross into Sri Lankan waters illegally, which means $ 19.72 million is lost from their shrimp catch alone.
In total Indian fishermen poach at least 65 million kilograms of fish each year. Satellite images suggest that the poaching is done in a highly-organised manner as the bulk of the boats operate in the night and scramble across the international maritime boundary line by four in the morning.
Colombo has previously defended its soft-peddling of the issue by pointing out that if reports are made to international bodies, most of South India’s fishing industry will be shut down and this could not be allowed because of the close relationship enjoyed by the two countries.
Sri Lanka has repeatedly called on Indian fishermen to end an internationally-banned practice known as “bottom trawling,” where weighted nets destroy the seabed including coral reefs that form the breeding grounds for fish.
Sri Lanka is also reportedly planning to spend more than a billion rupees to provide satellite links to all fishermen in an attempt to ward off export restrictions to the European Union. While the delicate balance of politics and fishing have to be admitted, Colombo cannot afford to let the opportunity to negotiate with New Delhi pass by.
Support of India, while crucial to defending against a probe by the United Nations, cannot come at the cost of the northern fishing community. But it is looking more and more likely that fishing concerns will get swept to the sidelines by the stronger waves of international politics.
