Sri Lanka to introduce new law to control illegal fishing

COLOMBO, Dec. 24 (Xinhua) -- Sri Lanka's cabinet approved a proposal to introduce a new law to control illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing in the country's waters, according to the government's information department on Tuesday.

A preliminary bill has been prepared by a committee comprising officials from the Ministry of Fisheries, the Attorney General's Department, the Department of Auditor General and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, with the technical assistance of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, to strengthen the constitutional framework on the issues related to IUU fishing operations in Sri Lanka's territorial waters, the department said.

The Cabinet of Ministers approved the proposal presented by the Minister of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources to instruct the legal draftsman to prepare a new act based on the draft, the department said.