The government is taking steps to sustainably manage ocean and aquatic resources while protecting the livelihoods of fishermen living in the coastal belt of Sri Lanka, Deputy Minister of Fisheries, Aquatic and Ocean Resources Rathna Gamage stated.

Deputy Minister Rathna Gamage made this statement in Parliament yesterday (08) while answering questions raised by MPs regarding the current status of the harbours, new fishery harbour development projects and licensing regulations related to the use of purse seine nets.

It was revealed in Parliament that the Oluvil Fishery  and Commercial Port in the Ampara District has been completely dormant for a long time due to sand accumulation, which is causing a severe crisis for many fishing families in the area.

The Minister stated that the main reason for this situation was the lack of adequate scientific and formal feasibility studies on factors including wave action, wind speed, the nature of sea currents and sand movement during the construction of the port.

Despite the port construction and development activities being carried out for nearly four decades, a large amount of sand has accumulated at the port entrance due to the lack of planning based on proper scientific data.

The Deputy Minister further stated that commercial ships and fishing vessels currently face severe difficulties in entering and exiting the port as a result of the failure to properly combine the modeling studies of the University of Moratuwa, scientific data and the traditional knowledge of the fishing community and plan.

 Although several foreign institutions have come forward to develop the Oluvil Port, their greater interest is focused on obtaining the sand accumulated in the port premises, the Deputy Minister further stated. However, he pointed out that since the sand contains valuable minerals, legal issues will arise when it is given to foreign countries, according to studies by the Coastal Conservation Department.

The Minister said that the government is taking steps to provide a long-term scientific solution to the Oluvil Port problem instead of temporary solutions, and for this purpose, a joint steering committee has been formed representing relevant institutions including the Presidential Secretariat, Ministry of Environment, Ministry of Ports and Civil Aviation, Sri Lanka Ports Authority, Sri Lanka Fishery  Harbours Corporation, Department of Coastal Conservation.

The Deputy Minister said that based on the studies conducted through this committee, the feasibility of reactivating the Oluvil Port is being examined so that it benefits national fish production, local fishing livelihoods and the country’s economy. Attention has also been paid to the possibility of renovating only the fishery harbour section.