New Delhi: The Sri Lankan navy has arrested nine Indian fishermen from Rameswaram and seized their mechanized trawler near Katchatheevu, adding to a series of detentions that have kept the fisheries dispute alive between the two countries. Sri Lankan authorities alleged that the fishermen crossed the International Maritime Boundary Line and engaged in bottom trawling in the island nation’s territorial waters.
The fishermen were among those aboard 297 boats that left Rameswaram port on Wednesday after receiving fishing permits, according to Tamil Nadu’s Coastal Security Group police. The seized vessel, bearing the registration number IND TN 10 MM 329, belongs to P Wellington, a resident of Raja Nagar in Thangachimadam.
The arrested fishermen have been identified as J Janathan, 45; A Anthony Pichai, 38; K Vellaichamy, 51; M Prabhu, 43; and Arogya Jeniston, 25. The others are P Stevin, 30; M Donbosco, 55; V Arogya Devin, 31; and Subbaiah, 52.
In an official statement, the Sri Lanka Navy said the trawler was intercepted off Urumalei Point near Talaimannar during Wednesday night. The fishermen and their boat were to be handed over to the fisheries inspector in Mannar for further legal proceedings, while Indian reports said they had initially been taken to the Thalaimannar naval camp for questioning.
The fishing permits issued at Rameswaram authorize vessels to operate from the Indian port but do not permit them to cross the maritime boundary or fish in Sri Lankan waters. Katchatheevu lies on the Sri Lankan side of the boundary drawn under bilateral agreements signed in 1974 and 1976, although Indian fishermen retain access to the island for rest, drying nets and attending the annual St Anthony’s festival, according to the Ministry of External Affairs.
The arrests are the latest manifestation of a long-running dispute in the narrow Palk Strait, where fishing communities on both sides depend on overlapping and increasingly depleted marine resources. India has repeatedly sought a humanitarian approach to fishermen who cross the boundary, while Sri Lanka maintains that mechanized bottom trawling damages the seabed and threatens the livelihoods of its northern fishing communities.
The incident follows the grounding of another Indian trawler south of Neduntheevu, or Delft Island, on August 6, when the Lankan navy rescued all 11 fishermen aboard. The Congress MP, Manickam Tagore, subsequently urged the external affairs minister, S Jaishankar, to secure their safe return and establish a bilateral mechanism for boats that cross the boundary because of mechanical failure or natural drift.
India and Sri Lanka have a joint working group on fisheries to discuss arrests, the release of fishermen and boats, maritime safety and the transition away from bottom trawling. Its last confirmed meeting was held on October 29, 2024, but the continuing detentions underline the absence of a durable arrangement that can reconcile maritime sovereignty, environmental protection and the livelihood concerns of fishing communities.