Sri Lankan navy arrests 14 Indian fishermen for illegal fishing

COLOMBO, Dec. 18 (Xinhua) -- Sri Lanka's navy said Monday it has arrested 14 Indian fishermen on board a trawl boat over illegal fishing in Sri Lankan waters off the Northern Province.

The navy said in a statement it conducted a special operation to chase away Indian trawlers from Sri Lankan waters on Sunday, leading to the seizure of the Indian trawler.

According to the navy, the northern naval command deployed its fast attack craft to chase away a cluster of Indian trawlers, after having spotted they were engaging in illegal fishing in Sri Lankan waters on Sunday.

The navy conducts regular patrols and operations in Sri Lankan waters to curb illegal fishing practices by foreign fishing trawlers, taking into account the impact of these practices on the livelihood of local fishermen and marine resources of the South Asian country, the statement said.

The navy said it has caught 35 Indian trawlers and arrested 240 Indian fishermen over illegal fishing in Sri Lankan waters this year.