Trincomalee fisher families suffer due to fishing ban

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 14 February 2006, 12:03 GMT]
Several hundred fishermen in the Trincomalee district are undergoing immense hardship to earn for their livelihood due to the fishing ban and other restrictions imposed by the Sri Lanka Navy (SLN) since second week of January, fisheries sources in Trincomalee said. SLN has banned fishing inside the inner harbor and the outer harbor between the Koneswaram rock and Fowl Point following an attack on naval gunboat.

The SLN has completely banned fishing inside inner harbor day and night and instructed fishermen who go for fishing far away from the shore should do so between 6 in the morning and 6 in the evening. Fishermen have been warned that no fishing craft should be seen closer to naval gunboats and patrol boats when they are on patrol, sources said.

These restrictions and ban have affected fishermen in Pulmoddai, Kuchchaveli, Salli, Sambaltivu, Kinniya, Verugal and other coastal fishing hamlets in the Trincomalee district. SLN officials have directed fishermen not to enter Trincomalee Harbor Sea without any reason, sources said.

Recently SLN soldiers had seized nine crafts for entering high security zone for fishing, fishing co-operative sources said.

The SLN has announced that it would issue permit for fishermen to fish in stipulated areas. But there are about six thousand fishing crafts in Trincomalee district. Fisheries sources said it would take several months to introduce this permit system. Till then fisher families have to suffer without any means to survive, fisheries sources added.

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