NORTHERN FISHERMEN FEAR LOSING LIVELIHOOD AFTER ETCA

Northern Fishermen said they would lose their livelihood if the Indian fishermen were permitted to fish in the Sri Lankan waters for 85 days under the Education and Technical Cooperation Agreement (ETCA) with India.

They said they were already incurring losses of more than Rs.2 billion a month.

The Fishermen Societies in the North concerned over the impending danger to the livelihood of the fisher folk have strongly protested against the move.

The United Fishermen’s Federation President S. Emithiyaz Pillai said at present the Indian fishermen were fishing in the sea off the north for three days and that it resulted in a loss of Rs.2 billion, but the Ministry of Fisheries rejected it.

“About 1,200 Indian trawlers enter the Sri Lankan waters and engage in fishing for three days a week. Only the fisher folk in the north know the quantity of fish the Indians take away. They are plundering and looting our resources. This will result in the livelihood of thousands of fishermen and their families being badly affected. Indian fishermen using prohibited fishing gear would ruin the fishery resources. The ETCA would further aggravate the situation. India which is a country motivated by their benefit would carry out their plan without the least concern about our predicament,” he said.