At global fisheries meet, Lanka flags IUU fishing; 

leaves Indian poachers off the hook

Sunday Times 13-09-26

Sri Lanka presented a series of key proposals on fisheries policy at the 37th Session of the Committee on Fisheries (COFI 37) this week at the headquarters of the Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations (FAO) in Rome, Italy. The proposals covered sustainable management of marine resources, protection of small-scale fisheries and regional cooperation.

Representing Sri Lanka, Fisheries Ministry Secretary B.K. Kolitha Kamal Jinadasa called for stronger fisheries cooperation among member countries, including Sri Lanka, India, Bangladesh and the Maldives on behalf of the leadership of the Bay of Bengal Programme Inter-Governmental Organisation.

Sri Lanka was elected Chair of the Bay of Bengal Programme Inter-Governmental Organisation (BOBP-IGO) Governing Council at its 14th meeting in Mumbai, India, on May 30.

The Secretary also pointed out the need for stronger international cooperation to combat Illegal, Unreported and Unregulated (IUU) fishing.

Noting that it is ten years since Sri Lanka joined the Agreement on Port State Measures (PSMA), Dr Jinadasa stressed the importance of further strengthening coordinated action among countries to prevent and combat IUU fishing.

He also emphasised the need to address gaps between legal frameworks and their practical implementation, while strengthening regional cooperation and maximising the opportunities presented by initiatives such as the Bay of Bengal Large Marine Ecosystem (BOBLME).

A fisheries policy analyst on a social media platform flagged that, despite the country highlighting IUU fishing, it did not address Indian fishermen engaging in bottom trawling in the country’s territorial waters for years, robbing local livelihoods and causing millions of dollars in foreign exchange losses.