Hon. Hector Appuhamy

¶ 01 My second supplementary is this: Almost every village has fishermen’s societies. The more acute issues now relate to small boats. Large boats have clear procedures for registration and generally comply, but small boat owners and those employed on them have serious issues. These should be examined carefully, but that is not happening properly.

¶ 02 I must also note that the subject Minister treats fishermen in two different ways. In his area, fishermen use certain banned fishing methods, and not only the Government but even the Navy and other institutions coordinate to support those activities; meanwhile, in our Kalpitiya area, he is harshly targeting fishermen. The key solution is to bring the Fisheries Bill. Since 2018–2019, this Bill has been in preparation, covering issues like madal, trawling and others, with NARA reports as well. Through this we could set the right course for fishermen, but the Bill has not come yet. When and how will you bring it to secure fishermen’s livelihoods?