EU says satisfied with progress on fishing issue in Sri Lanka

A visiting European Union (EU) delegation has expressed satisfaction with the efforts taken by Sri Lanka to address the concerns which led to a ban on Sri Lankan fisheries exports to EU countries.

A technical dialogue mission from the European Union's Directorate General for Maritime Affairs and Fisheries concluded a visit to Colombo this week.

EU officials credited the Sri Lankan authorities for the progress that had been made to comply with the regulations of the Indian Ocean Tuna Commission, the EU office in Colombo said on Thursday.

The two sides agreed to work together on the further measures necessary to address the remaining shortcomings under the EU legislation on Illegal, Unreported and Unregulated (IUU) fishing, with the aim of lifting the ban on fishery exports to the EU in the coming months.

Sri Lanka's cabinet last month approved new laws on fishing as part of moves to convince the EU to remove the ban on Sri Lankan fisheries products.

The EU ban took effect in January this year as the former government failed to prevent Sri Lankan fishermen from violating international fisheries laws.

The new government had later prepared and is implementing an action plan to remove the ban.

A proposal made by Mahinda Amaraweera, the Minister of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources Development, to amend the Fisheries and Aquatic Resources Act was approved by cabinet last month.

Accordingly penalties for the offences done in international waters will be enhanced to conform with international standards.

Penalties will be decided based on the quantity of fish and the size of the vessel at the time of the offence. The new law will also see a new method of administrative penalty which is absent in the current act, and create a sustainable and responsible fisheries culture in Sri Lanka. Endit