FISHERMEN CONFLICT FROM THE OTHER SIDE OF THE PALK BAY

N an early Sunday morning in November, 52-year-old Rathnavadivel Ravichandrarasa, a fisherman from Mullaitivu in the Northern Province of Sri Lanka, and his friends gathered on the beach in a makeshift shed, their usual hangout spot when they don't have to venture into the sea. Pointing to a school of dead puffer fish, locally called mullu peththai, that just washed ashore, he asserted, "This means that bottom trawlers from Tamil Nadu were fishing near our coast yesterday or the day before."

- PON VASANTH BA

The puffer fish is among the large quantities of bycatch discarded in the sea from boats engaged in bottom trawling, an environmentally harmful but highly profitable and non-selective fishing method that scrapes the ocean's bed and ends up damaging the benthic ecosystem, including juveniles, non-target species and coral reefs.

Francis Antonvictor, another fisherman, said, "On some days, trawlers, which usually come in groups, are visible from the Mullaitivu beach itself. That means they are just two or three nautical miles from our coast."

TROUBLED WATERS OF PALK BAY

Trawlers from TN's coastal districts from Ramanathapuram to Nagapattinam entering Sri Lankan waters is a contentious issue not only in the Palk Bay between Mannar and Jaffna districts on SL's northwest coast, but also on the northeast coast near Mullaitivu, the fishermen said. "This (October to January) is traditionally our shrimp season. There was a time when we could survive a whole year with the season's catch. consider ourselves lucky if we manage at least 20 kg," said 32-year-old Sabamalai Reginald.

THE UMBILICAL CORD

WHEN asked about the furore in Tamil Nadu triggered by the arrests of Indian fishermen by the Sri Lankan Navy, Ravichandrarasa said they feel sorry for those arrested since most of them are poor daily wagers and not wealthy boat owners. "However, when I am not able to feed my own family, I cannot sympathise with those from the other side of the sea (Tamil Nadu), who continue to exploit us even though we supposedly share an "umbilical cord" relation," he added.