187
10 South Indian Trawl Fisheries – Assessing Their Governability
Safety and Security: The ‘Sri Lankan Issue’
The governments of India and Sri Lanka agreed on the demarcation of the
International Maritime Boundary Line (IMBL) in 1974, with a subsequent amendment in 1976. From that time on, Indian fi shers were of fi cially prohibited from
carrying out operations in Sri Lankan waters (Suryanarayan 2004 ) . During the Sri
Lankan civil war (1983–2009), the Palk Bay obtained a reputation as an important
smuggling route, and the Sea Tigers (the marine division of the LTTE
5 ) competed
with the Sri Lankan navy for control of the area. In order to get a grip on the movement of people and goods across the Bay, the Indian Government deployed a substantial naval force. This force has been maintained despite the cessation of the
civil war.
As mentioned earlier, to this day many Indian trawl fi shers venture to the Sri
Lankan side of the IMBL, which is known for its relative lucrative fi shing grounds.
In harbors located particularly close to the border (like Rameswaram), trips to Sri
Lanka are the rule rather than the exception. The trawl fi shers in question argue
that it is both imperative and just for them to venture into the Sri Lankan waters –
imperative because this is the only way they can secure a catch good enough to
compensate for their operational costs, and fair because they consider the IMBL to
be illegitimate.
At the same time, however, Indian fi shers crossing the IMBL know that they run
a signi fi cant risk of confrontations with the armed forces or with irate Sri Lankan
(small-scale) fi shers, who contest their right to fi sh in their waters. In the period
between 1983 and 2003, over a hundred Indian fi shers were killed in the Palk Bay
area, 326 fi shers were injured, and 35 fi shing vessels were destroyed (Suryanarayan
2004 ; Scholtens et al. 2012 ) .
The Governing System: Actors and Instruments
A governing system consists of organizations, formal and informal rules and regulations, and economic incentives. This section describes the contours of three bodies
most relevant to the Indian Palk Bay trawl fi sheries, i.e. the central government, the
Tamil Nadu state government and the boat owner associations.
State Government: Fisheries Department
According to the Indian Constitution (1950), state governments are responsible for
inshore fi shing. The Tamil Nadu government’s involvement in fi sheries management
5 The Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), the guerilla force that strived for an independent
State, during the Sri Lankan civil war.
10 South Indian Trawl Fisheries – Assessing Their Governability
Safety and Security: The ‘Sri Lankan Issue’
The governments of India and Sri Lanka agreed on the demarcation of the
International Maritime Boundary Line (IMBL) in 1974, with a subsequent amendment in 1976. From that time on, Indian fi shers were of fi cially prohibited from
carrying out operations in Sri Lankan waters (Suryanarayan 2004 ) . During the Sri
Lankan civil war (1983–2009), the Palk Bay obtained a reputation as an important
smuggling route, and the Sea Tigers (the marine division of the LTTE
5 ) competed
with the Sri Lankan navy for control of the area. In order to get a grip on the movement of people and goods across the Bay, the Indian Government deployed a substantial naval force. This force has been maintained despite the cessation of the
civil war.
As mentioned earlier, to this day many Indian trawl fi shers venture to the Sri
Lankan side of the IMBL, which is known for its relative lucrative fi shing grounds.
In harbors located particularly close to the border (like Rameswaram), trips to Sri
Lanka are the rule rather than the exception. The trawl fi shers in question argue
that it is both imperative and just for them to venture into the Sri Lankan waters –
imperative because this is the only way they can secure a catch good enough to
compensate for their operational costs, and fair because they consider the IMBL to
be illegitimate.
At the same time, however, Indian fi shers crossing the IMBL know that they run
a signi fi cant risk of confrontations with the armed forces or with irate Sri Lankan
(small-scale) fi shers, who contest their right to fi sh in their waters. In the period
between 1983 and 2003, over a hundred Indian fi shers were killed in the Palk Bay
area, 326 fi shers were injured, and 35 fi shing vessels were destroyed (Suryanarayan
2004 ; Scholtens et al. 2012 ) .
The Governing System: Actors and Instruments
A governing system consists of organizations, formal and informal rules and regulations, and economic incentives. This section describes the contours of three bodies
most relevant to the Indian Palk Bay trawl fi sheries, i.e. the central government, the
Tamil Nadu state government and the boat owner associations.
State Government: Fisheries Department
According to the Indian Constitution (1950), state governments are responsible for
inshore fi shing. The Tamil Nadu government’s involvement in fi sheries management
5 The Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), the guerilla force that strived for an independent
State, during the Sri Lankan civil war.