“ILLEGAL, UNREPORTED AND UNREGULATED (IUU) FISHING: JEOPARDIZING SRI LANKA'S MARITIME SECURITY”
May 02, 2022
Institute of National Security Studies
Closed Door Round Table Discussion
“ILLEGAL, UNREPORTED AND UNREGULATED (IUU) FISHING: JEOPARDIZING SRI LANKA’S MARITIME SECURITY”
Press Release
The Institute of National Security Studies (INSS), the premier think tank on national security established under the Ministry of Defence, Sri Lanka organized a Closed Door Round Table Discussion on “Illegal, Unreported and Unregulated (IUU) fishing: Jeopardizing Sri Lanka’s maritime security” on Friday, 29th April 2022 from 1400 hrs to 1530hrs (IST) via Zoom. The Guest Speakers for the discussion were Admiral (Retd.) Ravindra Wijegunaratne, former Chief of Defence Staff and Commander of the Navy and Captain Sagara Udayanga, Deputy Director of Naval Operations, Sri Lanka Navy. The discussion was moderated by Rear Admiral Dimuthu Gunawardena, Director (Communications and Publications), INSS. The audience of the event comprised of representatives from the Sri Lankan Armed Forces, Intelligence Services, Sri Lanka Coast Guard, Sri Lanka Police, government and academic institutions.
Captain Sagara Udayanga addressed on the the current issues faced by Sri Lanka related to IUU fishing and how IUU fishing compromises Sri Lanka’s maritime security. This was later followed by a comprehensive analysis by Admiral (Retd.) Ravindra Wijegunaratne by providing valuable insights on how to seek pragmatic solutions for the issues at hand. The discussion concluded after an interactive question and answering session; which provided valuable policy suggestions to secure Sri Lankan waters from the threat of IUU fishing and the way forward.