The Fisheries bill prohibiting illegal fishing methods including bottom trawling which destroys marine resources will be tabled in Parliament today July 6. According to the Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (Amendment) Bill, the foreign fisheries trawlers, fishermen as well as fishing gear used for illegal fishing, breaching Sri Lankan territorial waters can be taken into custody. This bill will also allow to increase the fines against the illegal fishing industry by several times. Fines imposed on fishermen engaging in illegal fishing activities will be increased from Rs. 50,000 to Rs. 500,000. The Ministry of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources Development says local fishermen are engaged in fishing using banned methods including dynamite and TNT explosives. As a result fisheries resources, coral reefs and also fish breeding grounds are being destroyed. The Minister of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources Development Mahinda Amaraweera says the Fisheries Act will be presented to the Parliament with the objective of protecting those resources. Meanwhile, foreign fishing vessels, fisheries equipment, fishermen who are engaged in illegal fishing in the Sri Lankan waters will be taken into custody and the fines will be increased several times. Accordingly, the fines imposed on foreign fishing vessels have been increased from Rs. 1 million to Rs 100 million, the Ministry of Fisheries said in a statement. If passed, the bill will particularly hit Tamil Nadu and Puducherry fishermen as these are the biggest offenders as far as bottom trawling in Lankan waters is concerned.