The government is ready to launch a massive fisheries and aqua-culture development programme with 'Wewak Samaga Gamak' ( A village with a lake), Minister of Fisheries and Aquatic Resource Development Mahinda Amaraweera said.
He was addressing participants at the 34th session of the Asia Pacific Fishery Commission and the 6th Session of the Regional Consultative Forum meeting yesterday.
Sri Lanka has a long and productive association with the FAO. I consider the 34th session of the Asia Pacific Fisheries Commission a valuable opportunity for all 21 member countries of the regional body to meet and discuss their common problems in the fisheries sector, and to exchange information, and experiences with each other, he said.
He said Sri Lanka has always given priority to the fishing industry and considered it a key sector in the development of the country
"In terms of providing much needed animal based protein requirement to the country and also employment and income opportunities, the contribution of the fisheries sector has been most valuable", he said.
The contribution of the fisheries and aquatic resources sector to the Gross Domestic Product of the country is currently quite small, about 2%, but the sector has a great potential to increase its contribution. The government has recognised this potential and accorded the fisheries sector a very high priority in its overall development programme for the country.
Despite these developments, our marine fishing industry is faced with a series of problems. In the coastal areas the haul of fish catch per effort appears to be reducing, as a result of which there are conflicts among different groups of resource users. And though we have a high seas fishing fleet, we need to manage them effectively. We are now in the process of addressing these issues, the minister said.
Sri Lanka has 116 coastal lagoons which are not properly utilised for fishing and we have launched a new programme for their maximum use in fisheries. We are planning to launch a new programme called, 'Wewak samaga Gamak', for the development of villages and inland water bodies or coastal lagoons with the twin objectives of developing fisheries as well as the social and economic conditions of the communities, he said.
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