First time in Sri Lanka:

IOTC sessions from March 18

Ridma Dissanayake

The Indian Ocean Tuna Commission’s (IOTC) 15th session will be held in Colombo from March 18 to 22 according to the Compliance Committee’s decision, Fisheries and Aquatic Resources Development Minister Dr Rajitha Senaratne said.

Rajitha Senaratne

This meeting will be held in Sri Lanka for the first time. It will be attended by over 250 delegates and observers from nearly 35 countries in the Indian Ocean Region and beyond.

Representatives from major Distant Water Fishing Nations such as Europe, Japan, Korea, France, Taiwan and China will also participate, he added.

The Minister addressing a press briefing at the Government Information Department yesterday said the commission’s objective is to promote co-operation among IOTC members.

Sri Lanka has been actively involved in the Tuna resource management activities for over 50 years with the establishment of the Indian Ocean Fishery Commission (IOFC) for the Management of Indian Ocean Tuna in 1968.

Sri Lanka joined IOTC soon after the draft agreement of the establishment of the IOTC was adopted by Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) in 1993 thus becoming a founder member of IOTC by joining in 1994, he further noted.

“At present per capita daily consumption of fish is 31 g and we hope to increase it to 60 g. For that we have to get distant water fish cultivation and vessels with new technology. The Fisheries Ministry has taken immediate action regarding these facts,” the Minister said.

Senaratne noted that distant water fish cultivation will increase in the near future.