The Sri Lankan government is set to announce a ban on bottom trawling fishing this week, in a move targeting fishermen from Tamil Nadu who reportedly cross the International Maritime Boundary Line.
Fisheries and Aquatic Resources Minister Mahinda Amaraweera will introduce the ban on Thursday, with reports that up to 1,500 Tamil Nadu boats have been reported fishing in Sri Lanka waters using bottom trawls, according to the Sunday Times.
The use of bottom trawlers has also been a point of concern for Tamil fishermen across the North-East, who have repeatedly complained of damage being done to their equipment and the marine environment by the controversial practice.
A bill to ban the practice was originally put forward by TNA MP M A Sumanthiran in April 2015, but faced opposition from some communities in the North-East including those who had recently invested in bottom trawlers.
See more from the Sunday Times here and here, and the New Indian Express here.
