The Hon. Roshan Akmeemana
Hon. Roshan Akmeemana reported recent enforcement action against fisheries-related offences, citing raids and prosecutions in Jaffna, Mullaitivu, Kilinochchi, Mannar, and Trincomalee, including 18 cases in Trincomalee in January and 8 in the first half of February. He said enforcement alone is insufficient because the legal framework is not yet complete, and noted resource constraints in the Department of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources, including limited staff and vehicles. He stated that the government recognizes the seriousness of the issue, is working to address it quickly, and seeks cooperation from the Opposition and fishing communities.
Verbatim record (translated)
Machine-translated from Sinhala / Tamil / English¶ 01 Please allow me one more minute, Hon. Presiding Member.
¶ 02 Within the first one and a half months of this year alone, in the Jaffna District there have been 10 raids and prosecutions; Mullaitivu 15; Kilinochchi 8; and Mannar 12. In my Trincomalee District, we convened a discussion together with the Department of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources. The Eastern Naval Commander, the Governor, and representatives of fisheries organizations participated. Following that meeting, during just the month of January we carried out 18 prosecutions and raids, and in the first 15 days of February, 8 more. However, we know this alone will not solve the problem, as the necessary legal framework is still not fully in place. We are working on that.
¶ 03 The Department of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources lacks some resources. For example, in our district the Department has only eight officers and a single vehicle; even the Director’s vehicle has to be used for raids.
¶ 04 As a government, we understand the gravity of this issue and are acting accordingly. We are sensitive to the problem and will move swiftly to resolve it. For that, we look forward to the cooperation of Opposition Members as well as the fishing communities. Thank you.
Provenance
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- Hansard, Saturday, 22 February 2025 ·No. 1741001658041256 ·English daily/uncorrected Hansard
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Cite as: The Hon. Roshan Akmeemana. 10th Parliament, Parliament of Sri Lanka. Hansard, 22 February 2025. No. 1741001658041256. Politick, https://staging.politick.io/lk/speeches/25134