Fishing for practical solutions in the Pak Bay

After a hiatus of 15 months, the India-Sri Lanka Joint Working Group (JWG) on Fisheries held its much-awaited deliberations (in virtual format) on 25 March. But between the two meetings of the JWG, several events – some unfortunate among them – have taken place in the Palk Bay region comprising India’s Tamil Nadu and Sri Lanka’s Northern Province. For example, seven fishermen – five from Tamil Nadu and two from Sri Lanka – have been killed in “mid-sea conflict”. As a section of fishermen from the Palk Gulf border districts of Tamil Nadu continue to encroach upon the International Maritime Boundary Line (IMBL), cases of many of them being arrested and their boats confiscated by the Sri Lankan authorities continue. The case is that in early February, the number of boats seized was around 140, which were auctioned despite bilateral understanding on the matter.

trolling as an issue

Besides poaching in Sri Lanka’s territorial waters, the use of mechanized bottom trawlers is another issue that has become a matter of contention between the fishermen of the two countries; The dispute is not just between two states. This method of fishing, once promoted by the authorities in India, is now considered extremely unfavorable to marine ecology, and has been accepted by India. The actions of Tamil Nadu fishermen adversely affect their counterparts in the northern province who are struggling to come to life after the civil war. The ongoing economic crisis in the island nation has further worsened their plight.

At the same time, the fishermen of Tamil Nadu experience a real problem – the lack of fishing areas as a result of the demarcation of IMBL in June 1974. If they confine themselves to Indian waters, they find areas available for fishing full of reefs and coral reefs in addition to being shallow. The distance between Dhanushkodi (Tamil Nadu) and IMBL is nine nautical miles (NM) while the maximum distance between – Devipattinam and IMBL – is 34 NM. Under the Tamil Nadu Marine Fishing Regulation Act 1983, mechanized fishing boats can only fish more than 3 nm off the coast. This explains the tendency of fishermen to cross IMBL frequently. Another factor is that the people of both the countries in general and fishermen in particular have similar threads of language, culture and religion, which can be used purposefully to resolve any dispute.

Due to this factor as well as the plight of the fishermen of the northern province, both the governments have been saying time and again that the whole problem should be looked at from a humanitarian and livelihood point of view.

fisher level talks

The problem has been discussed by the JWG, and earlier in March by India’s External Affairs Minister S. Even during Jaishankar’s visit to Sri Lanka, the time has come to take steps to take this process forward. The current situation, which is otherwise very tense for Sri Lanka given the economic crisis, can be used to bring fishermen from both the countries to the negotiating table. This is because the Indian government started a two-month ban on fishing on the country’s east coast on 15 April. It is now up to Sri Lanka to ensure talks as the Indian side is keen to resume fishermen-level discussions. , Since many important issues were discussed in the previous rounds of such meetings – the last meeting was in New Delhi in November 2016 – only some fine-tuning of the respective positions had to be done.

While Indian fishermen may offer a road map for their transition to deep sea fishing or alternative fishing methods, the Sri Lankan side has to take a pragmatic view that the transition cannot be sudden. In order to elicit a favorable response from the fishermen of the Northern Province, the fishermen of Tamil Nadu will have to commit themselves to a shorter and faster transition, for which the Governments of India (Central and State) will have to come forward to play the role of guarantors. Further, whenever there is a genuine complaint of damage to the properties of fishermen from the Northern Province by the fishermen of Tamil Nadu, the Government of India may compensate the same through proper channels of Sri Lanka.

deep sea fishing

Meanwhile, India will have to revise its plan on deep sea fishing to accommodate the concerns of its fishermen, especially fishermen in Ramanathapuram district, so that they can catch deep sea fish without reservation. The revised plan has to satisfactorily absorb not only the unit cost of long liners but also the running cost. In addition, there is an imperative need for the Central and State Governments to actively implement the Pradhan Mantri Matsya Sampada Yojana in Tamil Nadu. The scheme, which was flagged off two years ago, also includes alternative livelihood measures, including seaweed cultivation, open sea cage farming and sea/ocean animal husbandry.

During Mr. Jaishankar’s visit, India had signed an MoU with Sri Lanka for the development of fisheries ports. This could be modified to include a deep-sea fishing plan for fishermen to the north. It is a welcome development that the JWG has agreed to undertake joint research on fisheries, which should be started at the earliest. Such studies should include the extent of adverse effects of bottom trawling in the Palk Bay region.

At the same time, both countries should explore the possibility of establishing a sustainable multi-stakeholder institutional mechanism to regulate fishing activity in the region. At the same time, Sri Lanka should take a softer stance on the situation and refrain from taking a harsh and narrow legal approach on matters relating to the release of 16 fishermen or confiscated fishing boats (numbering around 90). Any delay in this will only add to the bitterness between the two countries at a time when Sri Lanka’s economic crisis is generating sympathy in India. Everyone needs to remember that the fishery dispute is not a solvable problem. There are many options available to make Palk Bay not only trouble-free, but also a model for collaborative efforts in fishing.

ramakrishnan.t@thehindu.co.in