Boats taken in custody: Fishermen compensated

Shirley Wijesinghe

Fisheries and Aquatic Resources Ministry has completed the payment of compensation to all fishermen whose 40 hp multi-day fishing trawler engines were taken into custody by the Navy during the past three years.

The Navy had taken 315 trawler engines with 40 hp capacity into custody from Negombo, Chilaw, Kalpitiya and Kalmunai and replaced the engines in three stages with 25 hp capacity. Fifty nine fishermen received compensation yesterday.

Acting Fisheries and Aquatic Resources Minister Neomal Perera who handed over the cheques to the fishermen, said the Ministry had spent Rs. 1,791,875 to pay the compensation.

The use of fishing trawlers with engines over 25 hp were banned by a special gazette notification on December 10, 2005.

The Minister told the media that it was the first time a Government decided to compensate fishermen who had handed over their trawlers following a Government request to hand over the trawlers to the Navy.

Perera said discussions are on to have a fixed purchasing price for Kenda fish for local fishermen. A kilo of Kenda fish fetches around Rs. 3,000 to 4,000," in the international market. Steps will be taken to fix a purchasing price for a kilo of Kenda from local fishermen, he said.

Ministers Dayasritha Tissera and Myown Musthapa thanked the ministry for making arrangements to compensate fishermen.