Fishermen

Centre announces new deep-sea fishing rules to empower small fishers

The revised norms seek to tap high-value tuna resources that remain largely underutilised, even as neighbouring countries harvest them extensively in the Indian Ocean region

Bihar Assembly elections: Why parties are fishing for Mallah vote

Extremely Backward Classes vote equally key to INDIA and NDA

Sri Lankan Navy arrests 47 Indian fishermen, five trawlers seized

As many as 47 Indian fishermen were arrested and their five trawlers seized on Thursday at Talaimannar in northern Sri Lanka for alleged illegal fishing in the island nation's waters, the Navy here said. The arrests were made during coordinated patrols conducted in the Mannar and Delft sea areas. The 47 arrested fishermen and their equipment will be handed over to the fisheries inspectorate in the north for further action, the Navy said. The Naval command operation to arrest them began late last night and lasted until the early hours of Thursday, Navy spokesman Commander Buddika Sampath told PTI. The fishermen issue remains a contentious one in the India-Sri Lanka bilateral ties, 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. Last month, 12 Indian fishermen were arrested and their boat seized near Jaffna in northern Sri Lanka.

No intention of ceding Katchatheevu island, says Lankan foreign minister

Sri Lanka has no intention to cede the Katchatheevu island, Foreign Minister Vijitha Herath said, calling the "rumblings" in India an issue between the political parties there. We have our diplomatic channels open to resolve the issue, but what is certain is Sri Lanka will never agree to let go of a part of Sri Lanka which is Katchatheevu and established so by international law," Herath on Thursday told Sirasa TV in response to a question on frequent arrests of Indian fishermen in Sri Lankan waters. Fishermen from both India and Sri Lanka are arrested frequently for inadvertently trespassing into each other's waters. India's External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on June 27 said the issue of Sri Lanka arresting Indian fishermen stems from an agreement during the Emergency, imposed in 1975, under which their rights for fishing in some specific areas were given up. Herath, however, brushed off the issue, saying that "rumblings" over the Katchatheevu issue are "political sparring ...

India asks Pakistan for early repatriation of 159 prisoners, fishermen

India and Pakistan exchanged updated prisoner lists; MEA urges Islamabad to release 159 Indians who completed sentence and provide consular access to others

Sri Lankan Navy arrests 7 Indian fishermen for alleged illegal fishing

The Sri Lankan Navy on Tuesday said it arrested seven Indian fishermen and seized their trawler for allegedly poaching in the island nation's waters in the second such incident within a week. The arrests were made on Monday night in the territorial waters of the Talaimannar region, the Navy spokesman said. The arrested fishermen and their trawler would be handed over to the fisheries inspectorate in Mannar, the Navy said. The Navy on Sunday arrested 8 Indian fishermen. Fishermen from both India and Sri Lanka are arrested frequently for inadvertently trespassing into each other's waters. 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 the island nation's territorial waters. The Palk Strait, a narrow strip of water separating Tamil Nadu from Sri Lanka, is a rich fishing ground for fishermen from bo

Eight fishermen arrested by Lanka: Stalin tells Centre, seeks action

Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin on Sunday conveyed to the Centre that 8 fishermen have been arrested by Sri Lanka and sought its intervention to ensure their safe return. Writing to External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar, Stalin said: "I wish to draw your urgent attention to a matter of grave concern affecting the livelihood and safety of Indian fishermen, particularly those from Tamil Nadu." The CM said it has been reported that the Sri Lankan authorities on June 29, 2025 apprehended 8 fishermen from Rameswaram and seized their mechanised fishing boat. Such incidents lead to loss of boats and equipment, prolonged detentions, and cause a heavy psychological toll for the affected families. "I request your early intervention to ensure the safe repatriation of the apprehended fishermen and their boat." With the annual fishing ban period now over and the season having just resumed, fishermen returned to the sea with hopes of earning their livelihoods. "Considering that the fishin

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Sri Lankan navy arrests 11 TN fishermen, takes them to Kangesanthurai camp

11 Tamil Nadu fishermen were apprehended in one boat fishing in the Bay of Bengal in Tamil Nadu

Kerala fishermen express concerns over Centre's deep-sea mining proposal

"They can bring in the navy or even the army, but we will not allow sea mining off our shore. This is a matter of life and death for us, and we will not let anyone take away our livelihood," Robin said passionately about their stance on the Union government's proposed deep-sea sand mining. The fishermen in Kerala have already launched several protests against the proposed plan to open up the sea to private mining companies as part of the Union Government's 'Blue Economy' initiative. All the fishermen's associations stand united in their protests against this proposal, alleging that it would bring an end to the fisheries sector in the country, not only in the Arabian Sea but also in the Bay of Bengal. "The mining, according to the scientific report we have, can disturb the seabed and completely destroy fish spawning habitats. It can also release poisonous gases trapped on the deep-sea floor, causing severe environmental issues," Kerala Minister for Fisheries, Saji Cherian, told PTI.

13 Indian fishermen return to Chennai after facing detention in Sri Lanka

Flights tickets from Colombo (Sri Lanka's capital) to Chennai were arranged for the fishermen, sending them to India after issuing temporary passports

Sri Lanka asks India to stop fishermen from straying into country's waters

The Sri Lankan government has requested India to prevent its fishermen from illegally entering the country's waters for fishing. Minister of Transport, Highways, Ports and Civil Aviation Bimal Rathnayaka said the Indian action would be deeply appreciated by the people in northern Sri Lanka as fishing is the only livelihood for them. His remarks came ahead of the likely visit by Prime Minister Narendra Modi to Sri Lanka next month. We know that India has been helping Sri Lanka a lot. But this help towards the people of Jaffna would be the greatest," Rathnayaka told Parliament on Wednesday. They have no other industry and if you go to Mannar and Thalaimannar you will see. Rathnayaka said India was of much assistance to the people of northern Sri Lanka during the country's armed conflict with the LTTE. They gave them protection and we are thankful to India for that," Rathnayaka stressed. The biggest service India, the Tamil Nadu government and, their MPs could do is to help the nor

Opposition MPs protest against arrest of Indian fishermen by Sri Lanka

Opposition MPs on Friday held a protest in the Parliament complex against Sri Lanka continuing to arrest Indian fisherfolk, and demanded that the government find a permanent solution to the issue. The protest was led by DMK, Congress and Left party MPs from Tamil Nadu and joined by parliamentarians from several other opposition parties, including Derek O'Brien of the Trinamool Congress (TMC) and Sudama Prasad of CPI(ML) Liberation. The protesting MPs held up placards with slogans that read "Justice For Tamil Fisherman", "Bring Back Our Fishermen", "No More Arrests", and "Tamil Nadu Fishermen Are Indians". DMK MP Tiruchi Siva said the matter of Tamil fisherfolk's arrest was a national issue as they were Indians being mistreated by Sri Lanka. "Many other parties also took part in the protest. It is an issue which should not be restricted to the state. They are Tamil fishermen, they are Indians," Siva told PTI. "Fishermen are being tortured, harassed and killed for years and the ...

Sri Lankan Navy arrests 8 Indian fishermen for poaching, seizes 2 trawlers

The Sri Lankan Navy on Sunday said it has arrested eight Indian fishermen for allegedly fishing in the island nation's territorial waters and seized two fishing trawlers. The arrests took place on Saturday night "during a special operation conducted in the sea area north of Mannar", it said in a press statement. With this arrest, so far this year 18 Indian fishermen have been arrested and three trawlers confiscated, the statement said. The Navy said "in the dark hours of 11th January", the North Central Naval Command spotted a cluster of Indian fishing boats "engaging in illegal fishing in Sri Lankan waters. In response, the Northern Naval Command deployed its Fast Attack Craft and North Central Naval Command its Inshore Patrol Craft to drive away those Indian fishing boats poaching in the sea area north of Mannar". "The operation resulted in the seizure of 2 Indian fishing boats and apprehension of 8 Indian fishermen who continued to remain in Sri Lankan waters," it said. The sei

India seeks stronger WTO subsidy regulations for high seas fishing

India has pitched at the WTO for stricter regulations on subsidies granted by countries that are engaged in high seas fishing activities, an official said. Highlighting the stark disparity, an Indian document submitted at the World Trade Organization (WTO) has noted that it provides a modest USD 35 per fisher annually, compared to subsidies as high as USD 76,000 per fisher per year in some European nations. India also suggested that historical subsidisers should seek permission of the Committee on Fisheries Subsidies for grant of subsidies in future. The country has made these remarks in the meetings of the Negotiating Group on Rules (Fisheries subsidies), which are going on in Geneva. "India has pitched for strong disciplines for historical fisheries subsidisers which are engaged in distant water fishing (200 nautical miles from sea shore) and has asked for a moratorium on subsidies at the present level for 25 years," the official said. On these demands, India was supported by ..

SL Navy arrests 8 Indian fishermen for crossing border, seizes 2 boats

Fishermen who went to sea in 324 boats from Mandapam north coast of Ramanathapuram district on Dec 7 were fishing near Delft Island in Palk Bay Sea area when Sri Lanka Navy arrived and seized 2 boats

CM Stalin urges EAM to secure release of fishermen detained by Lankan Navy

He noted that the situation continues unabated, making it difficult for coastal communities to sustain their way of life

Mamata urges Bangladesh to release 84 jailed Bengal fishermen after arrests

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Tuesday said she wants the Bangladesh government to release the 84 fishermen from the state, who were jailed in the neighbouring country for illegally crossing the international border. During an interaction with the journalists at the state secretariat, the Bengal CM said that India has a very good friendship" with the neighbouring country. "Two fishing trawlers have been caught in Bangladesh because they entered their jurisdiction (recently). Thirty-six fishermen were arrested and are now in jail. Even after this incident, three more trawlers with 48 fishermen somehow again crossed the border to reach Bangladesh after which they were also arrested and imprisoned," Banerjee said. The Bengal CM said that the trawlers could have lost their ways or there could be some other reasons. "We have to find out whether they went there mistakenly or due to some other reasons. We are doing whatever can be done legally," she said. Banerjee said tha

Tamil Nadu fishermen protest Sri Lankan Navy's detention of 17 fishermen

Chief Minister MK Stalin wrote a letter to External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar, requesting him to ensure the release of 17 fishermen arrested by Sri Lanka

Assam flood situation remains critical, 13 fishermen rescued by IAF

Assam's flood situation remained critical on Tuesday, with over 6.5 lakh people reeling from the second wave of flooding, as the Indian Air Force (IAF) rescued 13 stranded fishermen from the severely-hit Dibrugarh district, an official said. The Assam State Disaster Management Authority (ASDMA) had requested the IAF to rescue the fishermen from Hatia Ali, a 'char' (sandbar) area in Dibrugarh, who were stranded in the floodwaters. 'ASDMA requested IAF to airlift these 13 stranded fishermen. All the expenditure for airlifting the people will be borne by ASDMA', the official said. Earlier on Sunday, the IAF had rescued 8 State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) personnel and a revenue official from Jonai in Dhemaji district when they were stranded in another sandbar area during relief operations. Dibrugarh district has been severely affected in the current wave with the major town in Upper Assam inundated for the sixth consecutive day. Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma had said on Monda