Troubled waters: On India, Sri Lanka and the fisheries dispute

In the latest chapter of the long-standing fisheries dispute in the Palk Bay region, the Sri Lankan Navy arrested 14 fishermen from Tamil Nadu’s Ramanathapuram district on February 8 for alleged poaching in waters north of Mannar. Two trawlers were also impounded. On January 27, the Navy fired at an Indian boat near Delft Island, injuring two fishermen. With these arrests, the total number of Indian fishermen detained this year has risen to 77. Just last week, a Sri Lankan court released nine fishermen from Karaikal, Puducherry, but one other person received a six-month prison sentence. Additionally, Sri Lankan courts have been imposing hefty fines, complicating their release. Government data over the past decade, based on responses in Parliament, show that in 2024, the number of Indian fishermen arrested in Sri Lanka crossed the 500-mark for the first time in 10 years (528). There were 787 arrests in 2014.

In a letter to External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar on February 3, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M.K. Stalin said that 97 fishermen and 216 fishing boats were still under the custody of Sri Lanka. Unlike in the past, when they were quickly released, recent years have seen rising convictions for violations of the International Maritime Boundary Line (IMBL) and unlawful fishing. While Tamil Nadu and Puducherry fishermen often cross the IMBL, their counterparts in Sri Lanka’s Tamil-speaking Northern Province, who are still recovering from the civil war, oppose their fishing methods, particularly ecologically destructive bottom trawling. Northern Sri Lankan fishermen are seeking a sustainable solution that protects their waters from over-exploitative fishing. Indian fishermen have repeatedly sought a fresh round of talks with their Sri Lankan counterparts, with the last such meeting having taken place in November 2016. The issue was also raised in the most recent Joint Working Group meeting in Colombo last October. However, the Anura Kumara Dissanayake-led Sri Lankan government appears reluctant to negotiate. New Delhi and Colombo must recognise that a fresh approach is required to break the deadlock rather than continuing with a business-as-usual mindset. Unlike the cases of Indian fishermen detained in Pakistan, Bangladesh, Saudi Arabia, and Qatar, the arrests in Sri Lanka are significantly higher. New Delhi must introduce incentives to encourage Palk Bay fishermen to move away from trawling. While this shift will take time, both governments must facilitate immediate discussions between their fishing communities to find interim solutions. It is only through proactive diplomacy and sustainable fishing policies that this ongoing conflict can be addressed effectively.