Sri Lanka's fishermen protest against China as Beijing exploiting their maritime resources

The local fishermen of Sri Lanka from the northern part of the island nation came forward to oppose the Chinese exploitation of the maritime resources in their waters. According to Mawrata News, Beijing has launched a campaign led by several Chinese corporations and entities to gain dominance in the sea near Sri Lanka. Reports indicate that in 2021, Colombo shipped approximately 336 tones of sea cucumbers to Beijing, Singapore and Hong Kong. 

Beijing's investment in sea cucumber farm sparks concerns

China is apparently eyeing the cultivation of sea cucumbers, which is one of Sri Lanka’s primary economic activities, reported Mawrata News. This development comes at a time when Sri Lanka is pursuing a Cabinet-authorised plan to launch large-scale commercial sea projects in Mannar, Jaffna, and Kilinochchi. A Macau-based Chinese firm offered to develop a large-scale sea cucumber farming operation in the Jaffna and Puttalam districts after the Sri Lankan cabinet plans were made public. 

This 10-year project aims to include over 36,000 acres of water to yield 8.6 million kilograms of sea cucumber, reported Mawrata News. The proposal for the project came from Sri Lanka's Minister of Fisheries Douglas Devananda, who represents the Jaffna district in Parliament. 

Why fishermen are concerned?

The locals are opposed to the project under discussion due to the fear of possible marine depletion in the region. Even as Colombo continues to promote such sea projects, the local fishermen believe that this would lead to lasting damage to the local marine ecology and ultimately hurt their livelihoods in the long run. 

The President of the Jaffna Fisheries Federation, Annalingam Annarasa, was quoted as saying that the proposed project will bring more harm to the locals than provide benefit. Previously, a Chinese project in the Kilinochchi district faced a similar reaction from the locals as it faced stiff opposition last year. The fishermen had objected to the fencing of the land adjoining the sea, restricting access to the local fishermen. 

The developments come as the island nation is battling its worst economic crisis since the country’s Independence in 1948. Sri Lanka plunged into economic disaster following the political chaos in the country this year after it faced a shortage of foreign exchange reserves.

(With ANI inputs)