by Melani Manel Perera

A proposal by the Northern Province Fisher People's Alliance (NPFPA) to that effect is designed to stop Indian encroachment that threatens the survival of northern communities. The same goes for southern fishermen whose practices depletes resources and undermines prices.

Vavuniya (AsiaNews) - Northern Province Fisher People's Alliance (NPFPA) leaders have proposed an alliance between northern and southern fishermen to protect the country's fishing resources and preserve its small coastal communities against Indian encroachment. The proposal was made during the NPFPA general assembly held on Sunday in Vavuniya.

"Indian trawlers encroach on ours waters every week without difficulties," NPFPA president S. Thavaratnam said. "The Coast Guard and the Navy do nothing to stop them."

The problem with India lies with its practice of bottom trawling, which allows for large catches but has a major environmental impact on coral reefs and algae as well as fish and shrimps because nets scoop up everything on their path.

During the assembly, representatives of northern fishermen also addressed the issue of southern fishermen encroaching on northern waters.

Southern fishermen, Thavaratnam noted, "can collect sea cucumbers in large quantities in a single dive. What they collect in a month however can be the equivalent of what a small fisherman gets in a year."

The net effect is that marine resources are quickly depleted whilst revenues decline. In fact, with greater supply, prices drop. Sea cucumbers for example, which used to sell for LKR 50 (US$ 0.38), now go for 7, pittance for northern communities that rely exclusively on the sea for their living.

The most endangered fishing communities are those in the districts of Mannar (Silawatura, Pallimunai, Thalaimannar, Iluppukadalai, South Bar, Thalvupadu, and Vankalai), Jaffna (Manatkadu, Thalaiady, Kattikadu, Chundikulam, Vadamarachchi and Thondamanaru) and Kilinochchi (Iranathivu, Katkadthivu and Palaithivu), according to NPFPA leaders.

• sri
• lanka
• fishing
• bottom
• trawling
• north
• south
• india