On the evening of July 11, 2022, the Sri Lanka Navy carried out a special operation to chase away Indian trawlers that were poaching in the northern waterways of the island. As a result, the operation resulted in the seizure of an Indian trawler with six Indian fishermen who were engaged in illegal fishing off the Kovilan Lighthouse in Sri Lankan waters.
After spotting Indian trawlers engaging in poaching off the Kovilan Lighthouse, the Navy sent out a Fast Attack Craft from the 4th Fast Attack Flotilla (4 FAF), attached to the Northern Naval Command, to drive them out of Sri Lankan waters (IMBL). In this operation, the Navy impounded an Indian trawler carrying six Indian fishermen and their fishing equipment for illegal fishing in the waters surrounding the island.
The Indian trawler and the six (06) Indian fishermen detained by the Navy were transported to the Kankasanthurai Port and will now be turned over to the Fisheries Inspector of Jaffna via the Sri Lanka Coast Guard for further legal action.
The Navy is adamant about conducting routine operations to safeguard the nation’s fisheries resources and the local fishing community’s way of life.