The Sri Lanka Navy on Sunday held seven Indian fishermen and seized their trawler for allegedly poaching in the island nation’s territorial waters.
The fishermen were apprehended after their trawler crossed the International Maritime Boundary Line (IMBL) north of Talaimannar, the Navy said in a statement.
According to the Navy, its North Central Naval Command spotted a large number of Indian fishing trawlers allegedly trespassing into Sri Lankan waters and launched an operation, during which the seven fishermen and their vessel were held.
The apprehended fishermen and the seized trawler will be handed over to the Department of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources office in Mannar for further legal proceedings, the statement said.
The fishermen issue is a contentious one in the ties between India and Sri Lanka, with Lankan Navy personnel even firing at Indian fishermen in the Palk Strait and seizing their boats in several alleged incidents of illegally entering Sri Lankan territorial waters.
The Palk Strait, a narrow strip of water separating Tamil Nadu from Sri Lanka, is a rich fishing ground for fishermen from both countries.
Fishermen from both countries are arrested frequently for inadvertently trespassing into each other’s waters.
Last month, nine Indian fishermen were arrested by the Sri Lankan navy after they allegedly crossed the international maritime boundary line south of Delft Island, Jaffna.