Fish industry in Sri Lanka - Part VI

Bojoon.com teams up with Browns Beach Hotel, Negombo to explore the future of our fish industry.

Hotels like Browns Beach has earned a reputation for its fish, says Sarath - a key fish supplier to Negombo hotels. These hotels not only want a regular supply of different varieties of fish, but also fish in excellent condition. Both demands are very tough challenges notes Sarath.

The president of the South Fishermen’s Cooperative Society Limited, Michael Silva agrees. According to both these veteran players in the field, fishermen are hampered by lack of knowledge on how to find fish and how to store the fish properly.

Especially since there are no standards being maintained by any authority, fishermen work haphazardly. Only the Sri Lanka Navy (SLN) maintains some order and discipline by restricting fishermen to their proper zones, continues Silva.

Explaining further, he describes that each boat type has to fish between a predefined distance from the land and the deep sea. This ensures apart from other matters such as security that the catch is of particular types and of fish of certain maturity. For this purpose all boats except the catamarans are registered with the SLN and everyday the boats are inspected by the SLN.

However, apart from these kinds of formalities, the fishermen are not properly trained or educated or have access to any technology or equipment to help them with their tasks. For instance, even something such as a 24 hour radio communication system that is of paramount importance to the fishermen is not available.

The current system is available only 12 hours, though there is a special meter reserved for fishermen to send a distress call from deep seas. Otherwise, the fishermen operating in deep seas communicate with the owner only during pre-specified times. This leaves the fishermen in rather a vulnerable situation, notes Silva.

Lack of equipment and technology really affects the success of the fishermen. They only have their experience and the sea conditions to rely on. When seas are rough fish such reef fish, mullets, muddu, barracudas and red snapper surface. During the calm sea reflects patches of silvery green.

This is the reflection of the scales of fish shoals like seer, sprats and shellfish such as prawns that are swimming nearby. The skipper has to be extremely experienced to note these subtle changes, to predict the catch based on the weather and the status of the sea and to direct his boat accordingly.

As the entire catch is thus dependent, the trawlers often sail for days without a satisfactory success. With the rising fuel costs boats can ill-afford these delays and uncertainties. Also, as boats carry only certain amount of fuel, food etc they cannot stay in the seas for undefined periods either. Within that time they must make their catch and return.

The other main problem is once the fish are caught, most fishermen do not know even the basic proper storing techniques. Only very few stack fish as soon as it is caught in a manner that does not bruise the fish.

Most leave it lying on the deck while they attend to other matters and by the time they put it on ice, the quality of the fish is already affected. These are problems that can be easily eliminated and if done so, would elevate fishing into a more professional and lucrative trade, notes Silva.

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