Navy gets access to monitor our fishing vessels in int'l waters

Sri Lanka Navy will have access to the Vessel Monitoring System (VMS) coming under the Ministry of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources from next week under a new Memorandum of Understanding (MoU).

Fisheries Minister Mahinda Amaraweera said that under the terms of the MoU, a team of Navy personnel will be granted access to the VMS in order to monitor fishing boats for any signs of illegal activity.

The Minister pointed out that a string of illegal activities, including human trafficking, smuggling of illegal drugs and weapons as well as illegal fishing were all being carried out by using fishing boats. He added giving the Navy access to the VMS would also help to track any illegal activities being committed by Sri Lankan fishing vessels in international waters.

Under the MoU, the Navy will be able to monitor the VMS and alert any of its patrol vessels regarding any suspicious activity. They will also be able to assist the Sri Lanka Coast Guard in the same way.

Sri Lanka has already spent Rs.850 million installing the VMS for its fishing fleet. According to official statistics, there are currently 53,988 fish- ing boats registered with the Government. A total of 4,447 of these vessels are multi-day fishing trawlers while a further 876 are one-day trawlers. The VMS is designed to monitor the multi-day and one-day fishing trawlers.

Minister Amaraweera also revealed that plans are underway to increase the fine for fishing boats that turn off their Global Positioning System (GPS) in violation of regulations, to Rs.1 million. In addition, the vessel’s fishing licence will be revoked in such a situation.

Meanwhile, the Fisheries Ministry has also entered into a separate MoU with the Ministry of Defence to conduct research activities in parts of the international sea belonging to Sri Lanka.

It is expected that the sea area belonging to the country will expand by as much as 23 times its current territory by 2020. As such, the MoU aims to facilitate the conducting of research and hydrographic mapping activities.

Defence Secretary Karunasena Hettiarachchi told the Sunday Times the Government expects to conclude exploring the sea bed and finish mapping the new sea area within two years. He said this would also strengthen the security of the country’s maritime boundaries.