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| Tuesday, 30 September 2003 |
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65,000 mts of inland fish targeted by 2008 by Lionel Yodhasinghe The Fisheries and Ocean Resources Ministry has projected to produce 65,000 metric tonnes of inland fish by 2008. This is an increase of 30,000 mts against the current production of 35,000 mts, National Aqua Culture (NAQCA) Authority Director General George Weerakoon said. "We have dropped fingerlings into 250 irrigation tanks this year under the first step and we will introduce 250 other tanks every year till the targets are achieved", he said. NAQCA was set up in 1999 under the Fisheries Ministry to enhance the inland fishing activities throughout the country. This has today enabled dry zone farmers to earn substantial income during the slack season of their farming activities, he said. He said many farmer organisations are successfully operating in the districts of Anuradhapura, Polonnaruwa, Hambantota, Ampara, Moneragala, Kurunegala and Puttalam. They have used perennial irrigation tanks and seasonal tanks and the farmers in Anuradhapura district have utilised over 1,800 seasonal tanks for the purpose. The authority expects to extend the project to other water bodies which are believed to be over 175,000 located throughout the country, he said. The authority breeds fingerlings at its four breeding centres in Udawalawe, Dambulla, Inginiyagala and Nuwara Eliya and sells the fingerlings to the needy fishing organisations. The regional fishing extension officers of the Authority counsel these farmers, providing assistance, educating them on the advantages, technology and harvesting methods, NAQCA Working Director A.G. Wellappili said. About 15,000 kgs of fish were harvested from the Sravastipura tank, the first seasonal tank under this project in the Anuradhapura district recently exceeding its target of 10,000 kgs, a Ministry spokesman said. He said the harvest is still being collected from the other tanks in the district and the Ministry expects similar harvests from other seasonal tanks. |
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