Milkfish hatchery in Kusala for Rs. 130 m

The National Aquaculture Development Authority (NAQDA) had taken measures to establish a milkfish hatchery in Kusala in Bangadeniya at a cost of Rs. 130 million. The construction work will be launched on March 10, under the patronage of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources Development Minister Mahinda Amaraweera.

Minister Amaraweera said the Ministry had also initiated a project to raise milkfish (Chanos Chanos) known in Sinhala as Wekkaya as an alternative for fish imported from China to use as bait for longline fishing vessels. According to the Minister, the decision to raise milkfish had been taken as a solution to the price increase of the cuttlefish variety imported from China to be used as bait.