Ban on night fishing in Jaffna peninsula continues

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 02 September 2009, 09:00 GMT]
Despite government’s publicity that all fishing restriction in the north have been lifted Sri Lanka Navy (SLN) continues to impose ban on night time fishing in the seas of Jaffna peninsula, fisheries society sources said. SLN insists on the fishermen to install radar reflectors on their boats and catamarans if they want to go night fishing. As these radar reflectors are not available in Jaffna more than 2500 boats and catamarans lie idle, seriously affecting the livelihood of the fisher families, the sources added.

SLN had given models of radar reflectors to Fisheries Department officials to be shown to the fishermen.

The officials said that they have taken action to get down the needed radar reflectors at the earliest with the help of IOM Organization which had come forward to donate the radar reflectors to the fishermen.

SLN had earlier said that it would lift the restriction on night time fishing in Ma’ndaitheevu and Allaippiddi gradually but now say that night time fishing will not be permitted without the radar reflectors, the sources further said.

Fishing Ban on all types of fishing is strictly imposed in the seas near the SLN bases in the peninsula.