Page 2 - Fishermen

Twenty-four more Indian fishermen detained in Sri Lanka repatriated: Govt

Twenty-four Indian fishermen who were detained by the Sri Lanka Navy for allegedly fishing in the island nation's waters were on Friday repatriated to India, two days after another group of five Indian fishermen were sent to their homeland. "Twenty-four Indian fishermen repatriated from Sri Lanka. They have boarded from Colombo and are currently on their way home," the Indian High Commission in Colombo said in a post on X. On Wednesday, five Indian fishermen detained by the Sri Lanka Navy were repatriated to India. Earlier this month, 19 Indian fishermen detained by the Sri Lanka Navy were repatriated to India, the Indian High Commission 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 Sri Lanka Navy has so far held 23 Indian trawlers and 178 Indian fisherme

19 fishermen detained by Sri Lanka return home: Indian High Commission

As many as 19 Indian fishermen detained by the Sri Lanka Navy were on Wednesday repatriated to India after being released by authorities here, the Indian High Commission said. "Returning home! 19 Indian fishermen have been repatriated from Sri Lanka and are now on their way from Colombo to Chennai," the Indian High Commission here said in a post on X. The Navy has so far held 23 Indian trawlers and 178 Indian fishermen for allegedly fishing in the island nation's waters thus far in 2024, and handed them over to authorities for legal action, the Sri Lankan Navy late last month confirmed in a statement. 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 release of 19 Indian fishermen comes amidst a row over the Katchatheevu island issue after India's ruling BJP blamed

Fishers Coop allege income loss amid inability to operate insurance scheme

In India much of the fisheries sector is dominated by cooperatives who number around 28,000

21 fishermen arrested by Sri Lanka, TN parties tell Centre to seek action

The Tamil Nadu unit of BJP and the PMK on Sunday flagged the arrest of 21 more fishermen by Sri Lanka and urged the Centre to swiftly secure the release of fishers and their boats. Tamil Nadu BJP President K Annamalai and PMK top leader Anbumani Ramadoss said 21 fishermen have been arrested by the island nation. Also, their two boats have been seized. The fishermen were arrested on the night of March 16 by Lankan authorities. Writing to External Affairs Minister, S Jaishankar, Annamalai said: "We bring to your kind attention the detention of 21 fishermen from Rameswaram, Tamil Nadu by the Sri Lankan Navy and 2 fishing boats belonging to these fishermen were also apprehended. We request the intervention of our External affairs ministry to facilitate the early repatriation of the detainees and the release of their fishing boats." Annamalai posted a copy of his letter to the minister on 'X'. In a post on 'X', Anbumani, also a Rajya Sabha MP, said during the past one week, as many as 58

WTO: Fisheries subsidies are vital for developing countries, says India

With about 9 million people dependent on the sector, India constitutes 25 per cent of the world's fishermen

Taiwan protests China's boarding of tourist boat near Kinmen Island

Taiwan on Tuesday protested China's boarding of a tourist boat, as tensions rise around the Kinmen archipelago, which lies a short distance off China's coast but is controlled by Taiwan. Taiwanese media reported the King Xia, carrying 11 crew and 23 passengers, was boarded by the Chinese coast guard for about 32 minutes on Monday. Taiwan's coast guard escorted the boat back to Kinmen, and it then continued its sight-seeing voyage. Ocean Affairs Council Minister Kuan Bi-ling told journalists at the legislature on Tuesday that the incident hurt the feelings of our people, created panic among the people, and was not in the interest of the people on both sides of the Taiwan Strait, referring to the 160 km- (100 mile)-wide waterway that separates mainland China from Taiwan, a self-governed island that Beijing claims as its own territory. Premier Chen Chien-jen said Taiwan was seeking to lower tensions in the area, which have escalated as China increased military activities following ...

China's coast guard to ramp up patrols in Taiwan after two fishermen die

China is stepping up patrols in the waters off the coast of Taiwan's Kinmen archipelago, days after two of its fishermen drowned while being chased by the Taiwanese coast guard, which accused the boat of trespassing. The Chinese coast guard's Fujian division will regularly monitor the waters off the southern coast of the city of Xiamen a few kilometers from Kinmen to strengthen maritime law enforcement, said the coast guard's spokesman, Gan Yu, in a statement Sunday. Fishermen from Taiwan and China regularly sail that stretch of water which has seen a rise in tensions as the number of Chinese vessels including sand dredgers and fishing boats have notably increased in the area. Kinmen residents have complained of both the noise and sound pollution from the vessels, as well as losses to their livelihood in fishing. The fishermen's deaths are unusual despite the level of Chinese activity in the waters near Kinmen, which is closer to China than it is to Taiwan's main island. China

SL Navy arrests 19 Indian fishermen for illegally fishing in its waters

Sri Lanka has arrested 19 Indian fishermen and two trawlers for illegally fishing in the island nation's waters near Delft Island in northern Jaffna province, the country's Navy said on Thursday, in the second such incident this month. The Sri Lanka Navy in the operation with the Sri Lanka Coast Guard on Wednesday also seized 2 Indian trawlers alongside the arrest of 19 Indian fishermen poaching in Sri Lankan waters, the Navy said in a statement. The apprehended fishermen and their two trawlers were escorted to the Kankesanthurai Harbour and will be handed over to the Mailadi Fisheries Inspector for further action, it said. The Navy continues to conduct regular patrols and operations in Sri Lankan waters to curb illegal fishing practised by foreign fishermen as they have a direct impact on the livelihood of locals, it said. As an extension of these operations, the Northern Naval Command deployed Fast Attack Craft of the Navy and Coast Guard to chase away a cluster of Indian poachin

266 fishermen in foreign jails, govt trying to secure release: Rupala

As many as 266 Indian fishermen are languishing in foreign jails, the government on Tuesday said, adding that efforts are being made to secure their early release. In a written reply to the Lok Sabha, Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying Parshottam Rupala said, "As per the information available with the Ministry of External Affairs, there are 266 Indian fishermen languishing in foreign jails". "There are 41 fishermen went from Tamil Nadu in Sri Lanka, 184 fishermen went from Gujarat in Pakistan, 10 fishermen in Bahrain and 31 fishermen in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia," the minister said. As per the data available, 1,172 fishing boats from Gujarat and 87 fishing boats from Tamil Nadu are under the custody of Pakistan and Sri Lanka, respectively. "The Government attaches highest priority to the safety, security and welfare of Indian fishermen. As soon as cases of apprehension of Indian fishermen and their fishing boats are reported, immediate steps are taken by Indian Missions an

12 Tamil Nadu fishermen released from Sri Lanka, 11 still held in detention

"They were apprehended by the Sri Lankan Navy while fishing near Delft island, and subsequently taken to Myalati Naval Camp, Jaffna for further investigation," an official stated

SL arrests 18 more Indian fishermen for allegedly poaching in its waters

The Sri Lankan Navy has arrested 18 Indian fishermen and seized their trawlers for allegedly poaching in the island nation's waters, an official statement said on Wednesday, in the third such incident this month. The fishermen were arrested, and their two trawlers seized on Tuesday off the coast of Mannar in the northeast, the Sri Lanka Navy said in a press release. The 18 apprehended fishermen were escorted to the Thalpadu Pier in Mannar and will be handed over to the Talaimannar Fisheries Inspector for further action, it said. On Sunday, as many as ten Indian fishermen were arrested, and their trawler seized for allegedly poaching in the island nation's waters, while 12 Indian fishermen were apprehended on Saturday. 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. T

China to keep up military pressure against Philippines as disputes escalate

China's Foreign Minister Wang Yi says the country will maintain military pressure on the Philippines amid a dispute over sovereignty in the South China Sea that could involve US forces defending their treaty partner. In a phone conversation on Wednesday with his Philippine counterpart, Enrique A. Manalo, Wang warned that if the Philippine side misjudges the situation, goes its own way, or even colludes with ill-intentioned external forces to continue to stir up troubles, China will defend its rights in accordance with law and respond resolutely, the official Xinhua News Agency reported. Wang's comments follow China's mobilization of its coast guard and maritime militia to block Philippine supply missions to support its soldiers and fishermen. China claims sovereignty over virtually the entire South China Sea, one of the world's most crucial waterways for shipping, putting it at odds with the Philippines, Vietnam, Malaysia, Taiwan and Brunei, who all maintain claims over islands, ree

10 TN fishermen arrested in British water handed over to Indian Coast Guard

Around 10 fishermen from Tamil Nadu who were arrested earlier this month from near the British Indian Ocean Territory (BIOT) in the Indian Ocean, and tried and fined 60,000 Pounds Sterling, were on Sunday handed over to the Indian Coast Guard. The fishermen had ventured into fishing areas in the deep sea, around 230 nautical miles near the BIOT -- an archipelago of 58 islands covering some 640,000 sq km of ocean, a defence statement said. The area is a British Overseas Territory, located approximately halfway between East Africa and Indonesia, and administered from London, the statement said. The fishermen were arrested on December 6, tried at BIOT and fined 60,000 Pounds Sterling, it said and added that information regarding the same was communicated to the Indian Ocean Directorate of the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office on December 14. The fishermen's boat has been seized as the fine was not paid and the 10 crew were released, it said. The fishermen have 30 days from

Prevail upon Lanka to secure release of 45 fishermen, TN CM tells Centre

Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M K Stalin requested the Centre on Thursday to immediately take up through appropriate diplomatic channels the apprehension of fishermen from the state with Sri Lanka and secure the release of 45 fishermen and 138 boats. Expressing "a deep sense of anguish" on yet another incident of apprehension of six Indian fishermen by the Sri Lankan Navy on December 13, he said this was the third such occurrence in a week. "Six fishermen from Jegathapattinam fishing harbour, Pudukkottai district, who ventured for fishing in a mechanised fishing boat were apprehended by the Sri Lankan Navy along with their fishing boat," the Chief Minister said in a letter to Union External Affairs Minister C Jaishankar, a copy of which was made available to the media here. He said the Sri Lankan Navy continued to infringe upon the traditional rights of our fishermen, and their frequent arrests have jeopardised the livelihoods of the fishermen and have instilled fear and panic in the ..

Sri Lanka arrests 21 Indian fishermen for alleged poaching in its waters

At least 21 Indian fishermen have been arrested for allegedly poaching in Sri Lanka's territorial waters, the island nation's Navy has said, taking the total number this year to 195. The Indian fishermen were arrested and their four trawlers were seized on Wednesday in the northeastern waters off Mannar and Kovilan. The Navy said in 2023 they had arrested 195 Indian fishermen for poaching in Sri Lankan 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 Sri Lankan territorial waters. The Palk Strait, which is a narrow strip of water separating Tamil Nadu from Sri Lanka, is a rich fishing ground for fishermen from both countries. There have been periodic instances of Indian fishermen being arrested by Sri Lankan authorities for allegedly crossing the International Maritime Boundary Line and ...

80% of boat cost to be given to fishermen who lost them in fire: Andhra CM

Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy on Monday announced that the government would compensate the fishermen up to 80 per cent of the losses they incurred in the fire accident here in which several boats were gutted. As many as 36 fishing boats were completely gutted and nine partially damaged in a massive fire which erupted in the intervening night of Sunday and Monday, officials said. Noting that the fishermen had suffered a big loss, the chief minister directed officials to dole out the relief. He also expressed grief over the fire accident. "Show humanity and pay compensation up to 80 per cent of the value so that the victims would be able to withstand the loss and restart fishing activity with confidence. The government should stand by the fishermen in such difficult circumstances," Reddy said in an official release. The officials apprised the chief minister of the total loss suffered in the fire mishap. Fisheries Minister Seediri Appalaraju along with other ..

Cyclone 'Midhili' to make landfall in Bangladesh coast, fishermen warned

The deep depression over the Bay of Bengal on Friday intensified into cyclonic storm and will graze past the Sunderbans before making landfall on Bangladesh coast with a maximum wind speed of 80 kmph, India Meteorological Department (IMD) said in a bulletin. The cyclonic storm 'Midhili' will cross the Bangladesh coast on November 17 night or early hours of November 18, it said. The Met department on Friday warned fishermen not to venture into the sea in north Bay of Bengal and along and off West Bengal coasts till November 18. The deep depression existing over north Bay of Bengal intensified into cyclonic storm Midhili as it moved in a north-northeaster ward direction, lying 200 km south-southeast of the seaside resort town of Digha in West Bengal and 220 km southeast of Khepupara in Bangladesh on Friday morning, the Met said. "It is likely to continue to move north-northeastwards and cross Bangladesh coast close to Khepupara with wind speed of 60-70 kmph gusting to 80 kmph during

Kerala Ports Minister faces flak from fishermen over compensation

Kerala Ports Minister Ahammed Devarkovil on Wednesday faced opposition from a group of people while attending an event at Kovalam here related to compensating fishermen in connection with the Vizhinjam port project. A small crowd of fishermen who were dissatisfied with the list of compensation beneficiaries had gathered outside the event venue and prevented his vehicle from entering there, an officer of Kovalam police station said. "The police acted swiftly to prevent any untoward incident, cleared the crowd and ensured the minister's vehicle entered the venue," the officer said. The officer also said that the minister attended the event and then left without any further incident. No case was registered in connection with the incident nor was anyone taken into custody, police said. The Vizhinjam port is being constructed, at a cost of Rs 7,700 crore, under the public-private partnership model. The Adani Group is the private partner in the development of what will become one of th

IMD warning for Andhra fishermen as Bay of Bengal weather intensifies

The winds are expected to prevail for the next two days, November 15 and 16. "Fishermen are advised not to venture into the sea from Wednesday onwards," IMD Visakhapatnam's MD Sunanda told ANI

80 fishermen released from Pakistan arrive in Gujarat, reunite with kin

Eighty fishermen released from a jail in Karachi in Pakistan reached Vadodara in Gujarat by train on Sunday, from where they were taken to Veraval in the state's Gir Somnath district by bus to be reunited with their families for Diwali, an official said. The fishermen were released by Pakistani authorities on Thursday and were handed over to a team of the state's fisheries department at the Attari-Wagah border in Punjab the next day, an official release said. They had left the Gujarat coast at regular intervals in 2020 and were held by the maritime forces of Pakistan for allegedly fishing in that country's waters. Of the 80 fishermen who have been released, 59 are from Gir Somnath district, 15 from Devbhoomi Dwarka, two from Jamnagar, one from Amreli, all in Gujarat, while three are from the Union Territory of Diu, the release said. "All of them were caught in 2020. About 200 fishermen are still languishing in Pakistani jails. The freed fishermen will be able to celebrate Diwali wi