Considering the severe adverse effects on the coastal ecosystem and other fishing communities due to the use of machinery for the madel industry, the Director General of the Department of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources, Susantha Kahawatte, has urged the gillnet fishing community to comply with the existing legal framework.
Commenting on the protests taking place in certain areas against the ban on the use of tractors and winches, the Director General pointed out that according to the 1984 gillnet regulations, gillnet industry is a traditional occupation that must be carried out using only human labor, without mechanical activities.
“No new laws have been enacted. Only the existing law is being implemented. The vast majority of the 827 fishing nets operating in the island, especially fishermen in the southern province, are still engaged in the industry traditionally with human labor without any problems,” he said.