The 16th District Fisheries Coordination Committee meeting was successfully held at the Anuradhapura District Secretariat under the patronage of the Deputy Minister of Fisheries, Hon. Rathna Gamage with the aim of identifying the problems faced by the inland fisheries community in the Anuradhapura District and providing prompt solutions to them.
The event was attended by Members of Parliament Susantha Kumara Navaratne, Nimal Palihena, the District Secretary of Anuradhapura, high-ranking officials of government institutions including the affiliated Institutions of the relevant Ministries such as National Aquaculture Development Authority (NAQDA), the Sri Lanka Fisheries Corporation, the CEYNOR Foundation, the Department of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources, as well as the Sri Lanka Police and the Department of Wildlife, and many representatives of the district's fisheries associations.
Discussion on the issues of the inland fishing community
A number of major problems faced by the inland fishing community, such as illegal fishing activities, use of substandard and prohibited nets, issues in the process of leasing out of tanks, delays in the distribution of fish fry, lack of cooperation between farmers and fishing organizations, as well as exploitation by middlemen and lack of marketing facilities, were discussed at length.
Prompt solutions to problems
Several decisions were taken to provide speedy solutions to these problems, among which the following were prominent:
- Developing a formal and transparent system for leasing out of tanks
- Developing a program to provide fish fry expeditiously as required.
- Developing a joint mechanism to build understanding between the farmers and the fishing community.
- Strengthening the intervention of the Fisheries Corporation to provide high income to the fishermen and a fair price to the consumer by minimizing the influence of middlemen.
- Improving fisheries infrastructure.
Speaking on the occasion, Deputy Minister Hon. Rathna Gamage said, "Our aim is to resolve the problems faced by fishermen immediately, with the support of all government institutions and provincial councils. We are committed to rebuild this industry by developing a system that increases fish production and shares its benefits equally among all, providing high income to the fishermen and a fair price to the consumer without middlemen."
