In recent years, instances of Tamil fishers being detained by the Sri Lankan coastguard have escalated dramatically, with subsequent punishments including fines as high as ₹6.5 crore.
Published Feb 16, 2025 | 12:54 PM ⚊ Updated Feb 17, 2025 | 9:48 AM
A fishing boat. (iStock)
Synopsis: A decades-long conflict in the Palk Bay waters between Tamil Nadu fishers and Sri Lankan authorities is often portrayed as either an ethnic Sinhalese-Tamil conflict or an overblow border dispute, but its roots are more economic. India’s export-driven fishing industry is trapping small-scale fishers in debt cycles with middlemen while large corporations profit from the lucrative seafood trade. Despite various government initiatives, no effective solution has emerged to help the struggling fishing communities who face increasing restrictions in their traditional waters, severe punishments when caught, and few viable alternatives for their livelihood.
On an August morning in 2024, fisherman Raja set out to sea from Tamil Nadu’s Rameswaram coast with eight fellow fishermen in a mechanised boat, hoping to return by nightfall with a catch to sustain their livelihood. Little did he know that he would spend nearly a fortnight in a Sri Lankan prison, enduring inhumane treatment. His crime? Venturing beyond an invisible maritime border in search of a good catch.
Raja and his crew were arrested 15 nautical miles off the Rameswaram coast and taken to Vavuniya in Sri Lanka. While he managed to secure bail at his first hearing after paying a fine of ₹50,000, two of his fellow detainees were fined ₹2 lakh each and sentenced to six months of imprisonment as it was their second violation.
In recent years, instances of Tamil fishers being detained by the Sri Lankan coastguard have escalated dramatically, with subsequent punishments including fines as high as ₹6.5 crore.
As of 13 February, in just 44 days since the start of 2025, Sri Lankan authorities have arrested 77 Tamil fishers, alongside the seizure of more than 10 mechanised boats, according to Union government data.
Over the past five decades, India’s seafood industry has grown to become the world’s second-largest exporter, accounting for eight percent of sea exports. The coastal waters of Tamil Nadu, particularly those sharing the border with Sri Lanka, are crucial to this success.
Yet, throughout this period, successive central governments have failed to secure a permanent solution to Tamil fishers facing arbitrary arrests, detention, and ill-treatment from Sri Lankan authorities – ironically, the industry’s success being one of the key drivers behind the increase in detentions.
The root of this decades-long conflict traces back to a tiny uninhabited island between Rameswaram and mainland Sri Lanka. Katchatheevu, merely 1.6 kilometres long and 300 metres wide, has shaped Indo-Sri Lankan maritime relations for over a century.
Under British rule, various landlords and administrators sought to claim the island, initially for its conch shell reserves, says Nallathambi, a veteran fisherman and leader of the National Heritage Fishermen’s Federation.
The dispute became an international affair after Britain’s exit and the formation of Sri Lanka and India as sovereign nations. In the mid-70s, both countries decided to resolve the issue through two agreements, whereby India gave up its claim over the island in exchange for traditional fishing to continue as before.
“The Palk Bay covers 12,500 square kilometres, stretching 137 kilometres from Rameswaram to Kodiyakarai. Between India and Sri Lanka, only 3,500 square kilometres belong to India, while Sri Lanka controls 6,500 square kilometres,” said Nallathambi.
Despite what came to be known as the Katchatheevu Agreement, fishermen continued to fish in the region without hindrance for years, he notes. However, since then it has become a controversial treaty. Many, including Nallathambi, believe it has turned into a political tool rather than a solution-oriented document.
The 1974 accord allowed Indian fishermen to dry their nets and visit St Anthony’s Shrine on the island. However, the 1976 agreement strictly defined maritime boundaries, barring Indian fishermen from fishing in Sri Lankan waters.
Article 6 of the 1974 agreement states: “The vessels of Sri Lanka and India will enjoy in each other’s waters such rights as they have traditionally enjoyed therein.”
However, the 1976 agreement, in Article 5, declares: “Each Party shall have sovereign rights and exclusive jurisdiction over the continental shelf and the exclusive economic zone as well as over their resources, whether living or non-living, falling on its side of the aforesaid boundary.”
Initially, these agreements remained largely on paper. Indian and Sri Lankan fishermen continued to fish across maritime borders without restrictions. Tamil Nadu fishermen regularly visited Katchatheevu and participated in the St. Anthony’s festival.
This changed with the rise of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) led by Velupillai Prabhakaran and the Sri Lankan Civil War in the 1980s. The Sri Lankan military began detaining and even killing Tamil Nadu fishermen. During Sri Lanka’s civil war, over 500 Tamil Nadu fishermen were reportedly shot dead, according to Nallathambi.
In March 2022, Marumalarchi Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (MDMK) leader Vaiko stated in the Rajya Sabha that in the past 40 years, the Sri Lankan Navy had killed at least 800 Tamil fishermen.
Even though LTTE’s defeat and the Civil War’s end in the mid-2000s drastically reduced instances of gunfire targeted towards Tamil fishers, the frequency of arrests, fines, and boat seizures has surged in its place.
The Tamil Nadu Marine Fishing Regulation Act, 1983, permits country boats to fish within three nautical miles of the coast, whilst mechanised boats must operate beyond this limit. With mainland Sri Lanka just 12 nautical miles away from the Rameswaram coast, fishers have very little space to work without crossing maritime borders.
An additional complication is the three-mile stretch of rocky sea that extends beyond the country boat limit. This means over 2,000 mechanised boats must operate within just a four-nautical-mile stretch of water.
Fishing is not just risky but also financially uncertain. “A fisherman must obtain a daily token from the fisheries department before venturing out. A single mechanised boat costs between ₹50 lakh and ₹1 crore. Each 24-hour trip costs at least ₹60,000 to ₹80,000. Often, the returns barely cover the expenses, and only seasonal catches bring significant profits,” said Justin, President of the Rameswaram Fishermen’s Association.
Katchatheevu’s waters are among the richest fishing grounds in the area, particularly for prawns and lobsters, according to Jesu Raja, President of the Ramanathapuram Mechanised Boat Fishermen’s Association.
The combined economic pressure, along with hopes of a bountiful catch from the rich waters, continues to drive fishermen to venture into these contentious waters, despite the constant risk of arrest.
Even crossing the maritime boundary by just one nautical mile leads to prompt arrest by the Sri Lankan Navy—as happened with Raja and his team in mid-2024.
Raja spent 13 days in prison and alleges various forms of torture and arbitrary punishments during his detention.
“Tamil fishermen are not even treated as human beings. More than ten people are locked inside restrooms and forced to sit there as punishment. Later, they are compelled to clean those areas as well,” he said.
Two days before his release, he alleged that prison authorities forcibly shaved his head because his bail money was delayed.
During his imprisonment, Raja encountered Tamil fishermen who had been confined in the prison for more than two years under inhumane conditions.
He also claimed that fishermen arrested by the Sri Lankan army receive no assistance from the Indian government. In his case, it was the Ramanathapuram MLA, Kaathar Batcha alias Muthuramalingam, who paid the fine and facilitated their release.
When asked about the role of the Fisheries Department in Rameswaram, Justin explained, “Their job is only to regulate the number of boats going into the sea each day. They do not have any mechanism to rescue fishermen arrested by the Sri Lankan forces or to bring them back to Tamil Nadu.”
He further stated that since the BJP government came to power at the Centre, fishermen have been left without support. Their families must now reach out to the embassy and arrange for their release themselves.
However, Nallathambi countered this claim, stating that in the past 75 years, it was only after the BJP came to power that a dedicated Fisheries Welfare Department was established at the Centre.
The continuous arrest of Tamil fishermen by the Sri Lankan Navy is often portrayed as a Tamil-Sinhala conflict. Yet, Tamil fishermen from Sri Lanka themselves oppose fishers from Tamil Nadu.
Researcher Prabhakar Jayaprakash, who studies the labour history of Palk Bay sea fisheries and is associated with the Coastal People’s Right to Life Movement, explains this complex issue.
“Since the 1950s, the fishing industry has been driven by an export-oriented economy. Before that, fishing was more traditional and diverse, providing employment to various workers and supplying food to local markets,” he stated.
The advancement in fishing technology began during the British era, but the most significant shift in Indian fishing came after the Indo-Norwegian Agreement in 1967, which introduced advanced fishing techniques.
This agreement laid the foundation for modern fishing technologies in Indian waters, leading to the introduction of mechanised trawlers and drag nets.
“At that time, no large private companies were willing to invest in this sector. So the government itself, with assistance from the World Bank and other organisations, invested in the fisheries industry and introduced various technologies for fishermen,” Prabhakar said.
Although the goal was to develop the fishing sector, strong market demand for shrimp influenced these investments.
With the agreement, Tamil Nadu’s coastline saw widespread adoption of modern fishing technologies. However, this created conflicts between traditional country boat fishermen and the newly emerging mechanised boat fishermen.
Initially, these disputes were mainly between different Indian states. The 1980s Marine Fishing Regulation Draft helped regulate these conflicts within India. Today, Sri Lankan fishermen make similar accusations against Tamil Nadu fishermen.
Even Tamil Nadu fishermen Nallathambi and Jesu acknowledge this issue.
Sri Lankan fishermen argue: “If you use trawl nets and scoop up all the fish, what will be left for our livelihood?”
However, Jesu Raja, a Tamil Nadu fisherman, countered: “In an era of technological advancement, how can we go back to using country boats? After 40 years of using mechanised boats, it’s difficult to abandon them.”
Despite accusations from their Sri Lankan counterparts and risks from authorities, Tamil Nadu fishers rarely benefit from the lucrative seafood trade. They remain at the bottom of the chain, often struggling to earn enough for daily survival.
According to Prabhakar, there is a connection between the hardships of Rameswaram fishermen and the profits of big corporations involved in fish exports.
India’s seafood exports reached a record 1.78 million metric tonnes in 2023-24, valued at ₹60,523.89 crore ($7.38 billion), with frozen shrimp as the top export.
The US and China remain key markets. While the Marine Products Export Development Authority (MPEDA) regulates and promotes exports, the industry is primarily driven by private entities, with the government focusing on quality control and market access. MPEDA aims to double exports to $14 billion by 2025.
“Each harbour, including Rameswaram, has at least four to five middlemen,” Prabhakar stated. “These middlemen do not directly belong to any company but provide fishermen with advance payments before they go to sea. In return, they buy all the fish caught and sell them to large corporations for export.”
Once a middleman provides advance money, the fishermen must repay the loan either in cash or through fish supply. This economic pressure forces fishermen to take risks, including crossing borders to meet market demands.
The global market always invests where demand exists. When shrimp was abundant in the ocean, the industry promoted offshore shrimp fishing.
But now, due to uncertainties, challenges and declining marine resources, the market focus has shifted away from sea-based fishing.
“Currently, 60 percent of shrimp varieties available in India are farm-raised rather than caught in the ocean,” Prabhakar pointed out.
The Indian budget reflects this shift, with ₹2,465 crore allocated under the Pradhan Mantri Matsya Sampada Yojana to modernise fisheries and encourage inland aquaculture.
However, 90 percent of fishermen in areas like Rameswaram still rely on daily sea fishing and cannot afford large-scale inland fisheries. While the government and global markets have shifted their focus, these fishermen are left struggling with no clear alternative.
Thus, the root cause of the India-Sri Lanka fishing conflict lies in the encouragement of mechanised boats in a limited fishing area to fulfil market demands.
The Indian government has previously proposed two alternative solutions for fishermen:
However, most fishermen refused to participate, leading to the scheme’s failure.
Despite various attempts, no clear and effective solution has been implemented so far.
Prabhakar emphasises that the government must establish a legal framework to regulate and allocate exclusive rights for different fishing zones.
“Only through strong policies and legal frameworks can fishermen safeguard their traditional fishing areas and assert their rights, preventing conflicts like the current India-Sri Lanka fishing dispute,” he concluded.
(Edited by Dese Gowda)
