Minister of Fisheries and aquatic resources Dr.Rajitha Senararthna again have warned to fishers who are using destructive, illegal fishing gears in Sri Lankan waters.
"law is there but its not active" fishers saying. we feel that, things that legally accepted are the thing that we should not do in Sri Lanka, specially in fisheries sector. poor fishers who are doing their job with accepted equipment and methods are the people who most suffer. fishermen who use illegal, destructive fishing method are earning lot, they have friends in higher class, specially in politics and military. when they get caught to the military or police they go home within 2 or 3 hours, but if some poor person get caught with some fault it take weeks to months for clear the charges.
Fishers from Trincomalee district express their experience in the area related to illegal fishing.
What ever the Minister and other politicos saying, destructive fishing methods are highly active in the Trincomalee area. there are well known people to the security forces who are using dynamite and light luring equipment in the sea. they destroy the sea from Lankapatuna to Pulmude area. fishing with light luring method conduting every night. Navy is highly active in Trincomalee area, how ever illegal fishing activities are also highly active in the area. we do not know where and how they get the dynamite, according to the law, to use dynamite in a work or to keep in a place, holder must have to have a permit, without knowledge of security personal fishers cannot have these explosive in their hands since they cannot have permit.
We are fighting against these activities, but we have no help, instead users of illegal fishing equipment are clashing with us and braking our body parts.
Where is the law? we are the people who get punished from this law.
