The “Deduru Oya Fishing Tournament 2025”, which was organized as a conservation operation, with the aim of controlling the invasive foreign fish species “Giant Snakehead” that poses a serious threat to Sri Lanka’s domestic aquatic ecosystem and fish resources, was concluded with great success on Saturday (20th September) at the Deduru Oya Reservoir.
For this historic event organized jointly by the Angling Community Sport Fishing Club, the National Aquaculture Development Authority (NAQDA), the Clean Sri Lanka institution, and local fishermen’s associations, with the contribution of the North Western Provincial Council, under the full guidance of the Ministry of Fisheries, over 1,000 sports anglers from various areas of the Island, and the participation of two players from South India was a significant feature.
New regulations and instructions for the public
Speaking at the event, Dr B. K. Kolitha Kamal Jinadasa, Secretary to the Ministry of Fisheries, Aquatic and Ocean Resources, clarified the key objectives of this programme.
“Our main objective is to create a social discourse about the environmental damage caused by invasive fish species, which are imported as ornamental fish and later released by owners into natural water systems. Since there are no natural predators in our environment, these fish multiply rapidly and destroy local fish resources, severely impacting the livelihoods of fishing communities,” he emphasized.
As a permanent solution to this issue, he proclaimed that a new gazette notification will soon be issued, prohibiting the import, transport, possession, breeding, and sale of the following four invasive fish species.
* Piranha species
* Knife Fish
* Alligator Gar
* Redline / Giant Snakehead
He further explained that the law will come into full effect three months after the gazette is issued, and individuals who wish to keep these fish for recreational or exhibition purposes can obtain a special license from the National Aquaculture Development Authority.
A new economic dimension through sport fishing
Mr Kitsiri Dharmapriya, Chairman of National Aquaculture Development Authority, commenting at the occasion stated that, “This is not just a conservation programme, but also an initiative to open new economic opportunities for people in the area. By developing sport fishing as part of the eco-tourism industry in this area, we can create additional income sources for fishing communities and villagers.”
Cash prizes were awarded to the winners of the competition, while valuable fishing gear sets including 15 fishing rods and 3 reels were awarded to encourage the Deduru Oya fishing community.
Mr Susanta Kahawatta, Director General of the Department of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources, requested the public never to release foreign fish kept in households into natural water systems for any reason. He also stated that a special programme will soon be introduced to hand over fish that cannot be maintained further to the authority.
The Ministry expects to extend this exemplary programme to other parts of the country as well.
