Mr. Douglas Devananda, Minister of Fisheries, stated that the great ocean, which never runs out of resources, also never runs out of challenges.
The minister said this while addressing the round table discussion on Climate Change and Management and General Policies organized by Pathfinder organization and Humanitarian Convention Center at the hotel, Cinnamon Grand in Colombo on 15.03.2024.
He, as the Minister of Fisheries, expressed his gratitude to this conference for drawing attention to the tragedies faced by Sri Lankan fishermen, especially small-scale fishermen in the sea. Expressing his views, he further stated,
” Our country has a famous and ancient history and most of the fish resources are provided by our fishermen, but they undergo various challenges. Hence special attention should be paid to those challenges faced by our fishermen. According to The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) especially overfishing, the existence of high sea temperatures in the sea, changes in the sea, climate change, and unreported illegal fishing methods are the main challenges faced by the fishermen. This not only harms the livelihood of our fishermen but also harms the survival of the oceans. To overcome this problem, measures have been taken to increase fish production through aquaculture and mariculture therefore the production of seafood has increased”
In addition, he continued telling,“ Our fisheries sector has been facing many large-scale problems in recent years, especially the illegal activities of Indian bottom trawlers in the North Sea has increased. Because of this, not only does the destruction of the ocean, marine life, fish eggs and coral reefs take place, but also the fishing vessels and fishing equipment of Sri Lankan fishermen are damaged, and the arrival of large-scale Indian trawlers also destroys the livelihood of the fishermen. The fry is also destroyed as Indian fishermen catch only fish and prawns.
Furthermore, we also face challenges regarding the security of the ocean because our country has an important place in the Indian Ocean, We face threats such as illegal human trafficking, drug trafficking, and piracy. Unfortunately, due to the lack of human resources and other resources, we are unable to act properly. Climate change is another challenge undergone by our ocean. Fishermen living along our coastal oceans are also affected by rising sea levels. The increase in ocean temperature damages the condition of the ocean. Accurate action plans are needed to ensure sustainable fishing activities and stop sea erosion. We have prepared policies to introduce the blue economic plan to transform the fishing sector as the backbone of the Sri Lankan economy.
We have also appointed a special team of experts for that purpose. Meanwhile, my ministry has prepared a new fisheries bill to stop illegal fishing. These challenges are not impossible to overcome. We must move forward toward a better future with cooperation and international support. It should be pointed out that we have identified the best strategies such as cooperation between countries, encouragement, use of permanent fisheries systems and modern technology. We can overcome these challenges through foresight and commitment. These challenges can be considered as our good future interests by protecting our ocean, ensuring permanent marine resources, and inclusion of new methods. “
The minister made a request from the participants of this conference to pay their attention to these challenges.
On this occasion, the Minister gave a copy of the new Fisheries Bill prepared by the Ministry of Fisheries to Mr. Bernard Gunathilaka, Chairman of the Pathfinder Institute. Many senior officials including the Chairman of Pathfinder Institute, Mr. Bernard Gunathilaka, South Asia Coordinator of the Center for Humanitarian Convention, Mr. Hemanth Katoch, Dr. Wasantha Ratnayake, professor, Ashan Wijesinghe participated in this event.
