Sri Lankan Navy snaps fishing nets of Tamil Nadu fishermen

Nearly 500 fishermen from Tamil Nadu were forced to return without a catch after Sri Lankan Naval personnel allegedly snapped their fishing nets.

Nearly 500 fishermen from Rameswaram in Tamil Nadu were forced to return on Thursday without a catch after Sri Lankan Naval personnel allegedly snapped the fishing nets of 20 mechanised boats near Katchatheevu.

A file picture of an Indian fishermen unloading baskets of fish from boats at a harbour in Chennai , Tamil Nadu. (AFP Photo)

The fishermen had put out to sea in 100 mechanised boats Wednesday evening and were fishing near Katchatheevu, when the naval men rounded up nearly 20 boats and snapped the fishing nets and asked all the fishermen to return, Rameswaram Fishermen Association President P Sesuraja said.

They also warned them against fishing near Katchatheevu, following which all of them returned to the shores Thursday morning, he said.

Eighteen fishermen from this town were arrested on Wednesday and taken to the island nation by Sri Lankan navy on charges of fishing in their territorial waters.

They were later released by the authorities there.

Meanwhile, the fisheries department officials on Thursday seized 49 boats here, following complaints about using banned fishing nets by the fishermen causing damage to marine environment and marine lives, Fisheries Department Deputy Director KT Gopinath said.

Read| Seven TN fishermen injured in attack by Sri Lankan Navy