Sri Lanka: Deep Sea Fishing Policy Threatens the Livelihood of One Million Fisher folk

The Sri Lankan government’s National Fishery policy for Deep Sea permits foreign fishing vessels to fish in Sri Lanka’s Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ – 200 nautical miles). Such fishing threatens the livelihood of approximately one million local small scale fisher folks who also fish in this zone and sell their catch on the local markets. Furthermore, since the foreign deep sea fishing depletes the sea and eighty percent of the catch is meant for export, fish prices in local markets will increase and be inaccessible and unaffordable to the Sri Lankans. Fish has been a cheap source of protein, easily available and affordable to most people.

The Sri Lankan government has failed in its duty to respect and protect the fisher folk and the population’s right to feed themselves. An international action is urgently needed to protect the right to food of the coastal population of Sri Lanka including the fisher folk. Otherwise they will face malnutrition. Please write polite letters to the President of the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka, with a copy to the Ministry of Fisheries and Ocean resources, requesting them to remove all licences to foreign fishing vessels from Sri Lankan waters.