Fishing issue clouds India and Sri Lanka ties

Relations between India and its southern neighbour Sri Lanka face growing pressure due to fishermen straying into each other's waters.
 
Nearly every month, dozens of fishermen from each country get arrested by authorities for illegal poaching

In 2013 alone 626 Indian fishermen were arrested while over 200 Sri Lankan fishermen were arrested in the same year.

Since 2011 over 1,200 Indian fishermen have been arrested, while nearly 450 Sri Lankan fishermen have been arrested in the same period. The number of Indian fishermen entering Sri Lankan waters are far larger, simply due to the fact that their fishing communities in Tamil Nadu are far larger in size than those in the North of Sri Lanka.

All Indian fishermen have been released (including the 70 arrested over the weekend), while the Sri Lankan Ministry of Fisheries and Aquatic resources have claimed there are still an estimated 100 more Sri Lankan fishermen held in various Indian prisons in Tamil Nadu.

According to the Sri Lankan navy spokesperson, Commander Kosala Warnakulasuriya, on an average Indian fishermen enter these waters illegally thrice a week (Saturday, Monday and Wednesday)

Palk Strait

The Palk Strait is a strip of ocean that separates Tamil Nadu in India from the Mannar district in Sri Lanka. Its width is between 53 and 80 km, the narrow division between the two countries has resulted in confusion over who holds ownership over the waters.
According to the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, the Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) is a sea zone which a country has special rights to including the exploration and use of marine resources. This zone stretches 200 nautical miles out from the coastline.
In the case of the Palk Strait, both Sri Lanka's and India's EEZ overlap each other. This has now resulted in the conflict that has arisen between the two nation's fishing communities.