Cited Evidence Record
TLTE does not run a field-research operation in the Palk Strait. The figures below are external — drawn from Indian Government parliamentary records (primary, Tier A), the Sri Lankan Government, and mainstream Indian and Tamil-language journalism (Tier B). They are reproduced here so the public can verify the order of magnitude of the issue, not as TLTE-collected data.
Every figure links to a permanent tlte-cite: resolver page. The Maritime Desk will not aggregate, re-tabulate, or extrapolate beyond what the source itself states.
Order of magnitude (Aarambam-era external record)
Tamil Nadu fishermen arrested by the Sri Lankan Navy from 16 June 2024 to 20 February 2025; 58 boats seized.
Source recordIndian fishermen in Sri Lankan custody as a point-in-time figure cited by EAM S. Jaishankar in the Rajya Sabha.
Source recordIndian fishermen still in Sri Lankan custody after a 19-fisher repatriation cycle (20 April 2026).
Source recordLivelihood side — northern Sri Lankan Tamil fisher voice
The dispute is not "India vs Sri Lanka." It is, in significant part, mechanised Tamil Nadu trawler operations versus northern Tamil fishers in Mannaar and Jaffna. The Maritime Desk refuses to present the arrests record without this side.
Sri Lanka's Fisheries Minister stated that bottom trawling by Indian fishermen must stop because the practice destroys the seabed and the livelihoods tied to it.
Source recordNorthern Sri Lankan Tamil fishers describe an 'existential crisis' caused by mechanised cross-border trawling.
Source recordIndependent reporting documenting livelihood collapse in Jaffna's post-war fisher economy attributable to mechanised trawler incursions.
Source recordLegal frame
The Maritime Desk cites both binding instruments — never one without the other. Katchatheevu sits on the Sri Lankan side of the boundary established under the 1974 agreement.
- TLTE will reproduce these figures with citations.
- TLTE will not create or aggregate its own incident counts.
- TLTE will not demand the reversal of the 1974/1976 boundary.
- TLTE will not frame this as a "Tamil Nadu vs Sri Lanka" dispute.
All maritime citations (12)
- Tier AAgreement between Sri Lanka and India on the Boundary in Historic Waters between the two Countries and Related Matters (26 & 28 June 1974) — United Nations DOALOS — Treaties Database
- Tier AAgreement on the Maritime Boundary in the Gulf of Mannar and the Bay of Bengal (New Delhi, 23 March 1976) — Ministry of External Affairs, Government of India
- Tier ARajya Sabha Starred Question No. 288 — Indian fishermen behind bars in Sri Lanka (answered 27.03.2025) — Ministry of External Affairs, Government of India
- Tier ALok Sabha Unstarred Question No. 1026 — Tamil Nadu fishermen arrested by Sri Lankan Navy (answered 25.07.2025) — Ministry of External Affairs, Government of India
- Tier ALok Sabha Unstarred Question No. 856 — Indian fishermen detained in foreign jails (answered 29.11.2024) — Ministry of External Affairs, Government of India
- Tier B32 Indian fishermen from Tamil Nadu arrested by Sri Lankan Navy (23 February 2025) — The Hindu
- Tier BTamil Nadu: Sri Lanka Navy arrests 10 fishermen — 425 since June 2024 (20 February 2025) — National Herald India
- Tier B97 Indian fishermen currently in custody of Sri Lanka: Jaishankar in Rajya Sabha (March 2025) — Hindustan Times
- Tier BSri Lanka repatriates 19 Indian fishermen; 82 remain in custody (20 April 2026) — The New Indian Express
- Tier BBottom trawling by Indian fishermen must stop: Sri Lanka's Fisheries Minister (12 December 2024) — The Hindu
- Tier BMannaar fishermen face prolonged existential crisis due to Indian poaching (14 July 2015) — TamilNet
- Tier BIndian trawlers hurt northern Sri Lanka livelihoods (IRIN / The New Humanitarian) — IRIN / The New Humanitarian
The full evidence pack and the underlying citation registry are reproducible. Researchers, parliamentarians, and journalists can download a self-contained copy for verification or re-publication under attribution.
"Fair maritime rights must protect both livelihoods and the sea."