Incalculable Loss To Our Fish Habitat

• Indian Fishermen Use Bottom Trawling

By Camelia Nathaniel

In spite of many discussions held in both countries, the fishing issues faced by Sri Lanka due to the encroachment of Indian vessels entering its territorial waters still remain a huge problem. In India too it is a huge issue for the Tamil Nadu government as fishing is the main source of livelihood for many of its residents. The over exploitation of fishing resources on the Indian maritime region had led to the depletion of fish and marine resources in Indian waters and as the northern Sri Lankan waters were out of bounds for nearly thirty years due to the war, fishing was prohibited, which has led to the abundance of marine resources in the northern territory. Hence the Indian fishermen prefer to even risk being arrested and enter the Sri Lankan territorial waters in order to take their chances in making the most of the abundance of fish in Sri Lankan territorial waters.

However this situation has not been a welcome sign for the Sri Lankan fishermen who were deprived of their livelihoods and are rebuilding their lives and livelihoods. The Northern fishermen charge that if the Indian fishermen had used the conventional fishing boats, then some sort of compromise could have been reached, as they too feel for their Indian counterparts. However what the local fishermen fear is the use of large trawlers and in addition the method of bottom trawling which is illegal in Sri Lanka, being used by the Indian fishermen.

Fishermen from Sri Lanka and neighbouring India, who both share the Indian Ocean, have a history of fishing illegally from each other’s territorial waters. However Indian trawlers continue encroaching on Sri Lankan territorial waters, causing losses in excess of US$ 59.18 million annually to Sri Lanka.

There are 908 seafood processing facilities and 508 registered export processing facilities in India, out of which 267 are EU registered. Out of this 131 (or 49%) are located in Kerala and Tamil Nadu, which depends very much on fish from the disputed waters.   The value of sea cucumber (beach-de-mer) and conch shells etc has not been considered. Damage to fish habitat and eco-system, both short-term and long-term, is incalculable.

 

Trawling impacts endangered species

Trawling could also impact endangered marine turtles and other creatures that do not have a commercial value. They are the unavoidable, unfortunate victims of bottom trawling. When the net drags, it also disturbs underwater sediments and thousands of little creatures that find refuge in the soft sands are exposed to predators, claim environmentalists.  According to an estimate of economic losses due to Indian vessels fishing in Sri Lankan waters, on average around 1056 Indian vessels operate in our waters per day, reportedly catching around 25 kg of shrimp per boat. In total around 65,102,400kg of shrimp is caught by the Indian vessels annually, amounting to a colossal SL Rs 2,170 million (US$ 19.72 million) loss.

According to a report by a Senior Lecturer of Geography, University of Jaffna, Dr A. S. Sosai, the above is a very conservative estimate as the shrimp catch per boat (25 kg/ boat) is often very much higher.

The total value of the catch by Indian vessels (assuming 1:18 ratio) 65,102,400 kg. Assuming the value of  the catch at Rs 100/kg (@ 1US$ = SL Rs 110) =SL Rs 6,510 million =US$ 59.18 million. Total value of raw material shrimp + by-catch US$ 78.90 million.

The value realised through exports and value addition is much more than above and can be 30-50% higher (approx. US$ 105-120 million).

Meanwhile Fishermen from Tamil Nadu, in the South of India, and fisherman from the North of Sri Lanka both prefer to fish in the area near the Katchchativu island; an area within the strait, where the presence of deep waters and rocky formation created ideal environs for marine biology.

The Katchchativu island is located within the maritime boundary that separates Sri Lankan territorial waters from India’s, which makes the Indians fishermen using the area guilty of violating international law, and Sri Lankan fishermen are resentful of their presence, seeing it as encroachment on their territory, resulting in the depletion of their marine resources.

Sri Lankan fishermen also accuse Indian fisher-folk of damage; they say Indian fishing trawlers damage their fishing nets and destroy a fragile eco-system by utilising bottom trawling, which rips the entire sea bed.

Currently there are over 80 Indian fishermen in local detention while their boats too are now being confiscated by the local authorities in a bid to deter the Indian fishermen from encroaching in our waters. However the Indian fishermen claim that even though they are aware that they are encroaching on our waters, their economic requirements compel them to take the risk.

Most of the Indian trawlers are owned by businessmen who employ the local fisher folk for fishing. Moreover the Indian government has not implemented enough regulations for the prevention of using bottom trawlers which is the root cause of the whole issue.

The Northern fishermen claim that if the Indian fishermen refrain from using the bottom trawlers and the illegal fishing gear and methods, then the fishermen on both sides could strike a compromise to share the marine resources. However the Northern fishermen are adamant that the Indian fishermen should not be allowed to rape the northern fishing grounds for greed of financial gain, depriving the Sri Lankan fishermen of their livelihood in the process.

Speaking to The Sunday Leader several fishermen in the North expressed their grievances regarding the invasion of Indian fishermen in our territorial waters.

 

Sahayanesan a fisherman from Kusumanthurai

Around 30 to 40 Indian boats invade our territory and deprive them of fishing. When we see the Indian trawlers approaching we abandon our fishing and get back to the shore as if we remain there they cut our nets and destroy our fishing gear. Since we only have small fishing boats we are unable to compete with them. The bottom trawlers take everything including the prawns and the crabs and even the small ones. We too have suffered for the past thirty years and this is not fair as we are now facing a separate battle for our survival. Their nets are dragged along the sea bed, whereas our nets float on the surface, hence when they drag their nets they cut our nets from both sides and drag their nets. We barely have the means to sustain our families with the fishing we do, and if we have to keep replacing our nets, we will certainly have to starve to death.

The local fishermen do not have the capacity to catch larger varieties of fish found in the open waters. Hence the local fishermen only fish in the waters closer to the shore. The Indian boats come at night sometimes without lights, and we can’t even see them coming and they destroy our gear. In addition now even the Navy is preventing us from going out to sea and fishing, for no apparent reason. We are being harassed by all parties, because we are helpless.

 

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Payes Yogadas President of the Sethankulam fishing committee

Our fishermen are greatly inconvenienced due to the encroachment of the Indian fishermen. In addition they use monofilament nets (Thangus) which is illegal here for fishing. Our fishermen cannot engage in this sort of illegal fishing which puts us in an unfair position and we can do nothing but watch helplessly while the Indian fishermen come and take away all our fish. We held talks with the Indian authorities in India, Kachchathivu and Colombo but so far there has not been any positive outcome from these discussions.

Our fishing communities depend solely on the small fish as our boats are not equipped to venture into open waters. When the Indian trawlers come with their bottom trawling methods they simply take away all the fish including the smaller fish which is not of any use to them. If this continues at this rate, there will not be any fish or marine life in the Northern waters and all of us will have to simply starve to death.

Most of the fishermen here now process the small fish into dried fish and sell them in the market. However if this continues, then what can these innocent fishermen do? The Indian government is concerned about their fishermen and protecting their livelihoods, then what about us? Our government too needs to take serious note of this issue and address our grievances and find us a solution. We feel for the Indian fishermen, but we are not the ones who destroyed their fishing territory and they are the ones responsible for that. Now it is not fair that they encroach on our waters and do the same to our fishing and marine resources. What our fishermen catch in a month, the Indian fishing trawlers gather in two days.