The Minister stated that the new Fisheries Act, which has amended all of the flaws of the existing Act, has been presented for the benefit of the fishermen in Sri Lanka and is intended to elevate the nation's fishing industry to an international level.
According to Minister Devananda, the assistant directors of fisheries in each of the 15 fisheries districts are primarily in charge of bringing the fisheries bill to the public, raising awareness of them about it, soliciting their feedback, amending the bill by incorporating those views and organizing the necessary procedures for presenting the new bill to the parliament and getting it passed.
The Minister made this statement at the meeting of Assistant Directors of Fisheries held at the Ministry of Fisheries through Zoom technology.
The minister went on to say that the assistant directors will reconvene in Colombo on the 19th to deliberate and make a decision regarding this bill. At this occasion, the management regulations that have been prepared to solve the management problems at the district level by establishing management committees in fishing districts were also taken into discussion.
Pointing out that these management regulations have been prepared to solve the problems that have arisen for fishermen in many fishing districts due to migrant fishermen, the minister inquired from the assistant directors of fisheries about it. Accordingly, the Minister instructed the Director General of the Fisheries Department to prepare these regulations by including the matters presented by the Assistant Directors.
In addition, the Minister stated that the measures taken to stop the Indian fishing invasion in the North East Sea area are also being maintained very strictly. The minister further emphasized the extreme importance of the President’s recently made emphatic statement, 'His government will take strict steps for the prevention of the Indian invasion of Sri Lankan fishing industry ‘ made in Australia in a discussion with an Indian journalist.
The Minister advised the Assistant Directors of the Fisheries Department to take strict decisions together with the security forces to stop illegal fishing methods using the prohibited fishing equipment and killing of fish using dynamite.
Secretary to the Ministry of Fisheries, Ms. Nayana Kumari Somaratne, Director General of the Fisheries Department, Mr. Susantha Kahawatta and a group of officials participated in this event.
