Sri Lankan Navy today arrested 25 Indian fishermen for allegedly poaching in the country's waters, officials said.
Naval spokesman Kosala Warnakulasuriya said 25 fishermen have been arrested north of Jaffna's Delft island during the wee hours of today. Their six trawlers were also seized.
The fishermen are to be handed over to the police at Kankesanturai harbour.
Last week, Agriculture Minister Sharad Pawar held talks with Sri Lankan Minister of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources Rajitha Senaratne in New Delhi on the thorny issue of fishermen during which the two countries decided to release over 400 fishermen, currently in custody of each other.
So far, the two countries have released 52 fishermen each.
There are still 240 Indians in Sri Lankan custody for allegedly poaching in Lankan waters, while 160 Sri Lankans are held by India, according to official figures.
The arrests came ahead of a meeting scheduled for January 27 of a joint committee appointed to work out a mechanism to look into the issue so that fishermen, who might have inadvertently crossed the International Maritime Boundary Line, are released in a time-bound manner in future.
