Sri Lanka, Jan. 15 -- A strict six-month fishing ban that can be imposed under existing laws and regulations on the pilot and entire crew of any vessel found to be illegally violating foreign maritime boundaries or willfully disabling the Vessel Monitoring System (VMS) will be implemented effective from February 1, 2026, authorities said yesterday.

The Department of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (DFAR) announcing this major policy decision said it was a bid to safeguard the sustainability of Sri Lanka's globally recognized fishing industry.Sri Lanka travel

Accordingly, This decisive step is aimed at curbing illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing activities, thereby minimizing the threats to the country's marine resources, n...