Lanka’s sea area fully opened for fishing

Chamikara Weerasinghe

All the territorial waters around the island is now free and open to fishing, Defence Secretary Gotabhaya Rajapaksa has announced.

Fisheries and Aquatic Resources Minister Dr. Rajitha Senaratna said Gotabhaya Rajapaksa had told him that the sea is now free of fishing restrictions that were imposed during the time of LTTE terrorism and is open for fishing.

Fishing activities now take place around the country except in a few areas where people cannot go fishing due to land mines being removed from these areas, The Defence Secretary had told the Minister.

Senaratna said the Defence Ministry has lifted its ban imposed on fishing boats with 40 HP engines following a request made by him.

The decision to lift the ban came as a result of a discussion held Monday between Defence Secretary Gotabhaya Rajapaksa and Fisheries and Aquatic Resources Minister Dr. Rajitha Senaratna.

The Defence Ministry has agreed to release 141 fishing boats with 40 HP engines from their custody to the Fisheries Ministry.

With the decades-long ban on the use of boats with 40 HP engines being lifted for the first time, the fishermen will have a bigger harvest. With the LTTE’s defeat last year, the fishermen have been requesting the Fisheries Minister to lift the ban on 40 HP engine boats. The fishermen in the Southern Province can now engage in fishing activities with boats fitted with 40 HP engines, the Minister said.

The fishermen in the North and East are permitted to use fishing boats with 30 HP engines at present.

Present at the discussion with the Defence Secretary were Fisheries Ministry Secretary Dr. Damitha De Soyza, Navy General Vice Admiral Thisara Samarasinghe and Fisheries and Aquatic Resources Department Director General D W Pathirtana.