Aquaculture gaining increasing importance in fisheries today

Fisheries and Aquatic Resources Development Minister Dr Rajitha Senaratne said aquaculture is a thrust area of fisheries development in the Mahinda Chinthana Idiri Dekma programme. The minister was addressing the Aquatic Resources Development of Asian Regional Ministerial Meeting of Aquaculture held on July 28, 2011 in Colombo. Ministers and senior officials from nearly 20 countries in the Asia-Pacific region participated in this conference which discussed the future development plans of the Aquaculture Industry in Sri Lanka and cooperation among countries in the Asian region.

The full text of the minister’s speech:

‘At the outset, I wish to convey my deep appreciation to President Mahinda Rajapaksa for gracing this inaugural session, and kindly agreeing to deliver the keynote address, officiating the opening of the meeting.

Fisheries and Aquatic Resources Development Minister Dr Rajitha Senaratne

“I am very happy to note the presence of a large number of ministers and senior officials from nearly 20 countries in the Asia-Pacific region with us and wish to extend them a warm welcome. This clearly shows the importance the countries in the region attach to this meeting, and to develop their aquaculture sectors. I am pleased to learn that this is the first time FAO is holding a Ministerial Meeting in aquaculture of such wide participation in Asia. In fact, in March this year, the 15th session of the Indian Ocean Tuna Commission (IOTC) too was held in Colombo, with the participation of over 250 delegates from over 35 countries.

“We are heartened by the rapidly growing popularity of Sri Lanka as a venue for major international events, including fisheries events. This augurs well with our government’s plan to make Sri Lanka the ‘Wonder of Asia.’

Aquaculture or fish farming, is a term which is gaining increasing importance in fisheries today. This, I believe, is primarily due to the increasing demand for fish, which marine capture fisheries alone cannot satisfy, due to resource limitations. For millennia, man made reservoirs, irrigational canals and riverine waters served as the principal source of freshwater fish for we Sri Lankans.

Aquaculture production

“Aquaculture is of more recent origin. Aquaculture development programmes, initiated by the government in the late 70s and early 80s, had a profound impact in increasing aquaculture production in the country.

However, lack of a clear, consistent policy on aquaculture development, especially the stocking programmes, saw our aquaculture production dwindling in the late 80s. However, the last five years have seen growing emphasis in aquaculture in the country.

Aquaculture is a thrust area of fisheries development in the ‘Mahinda Chinthana Idiri Dekma,’ and has formed the cornerstone of my ministry’s fisheries development programme.

“We are targeting an aquaculture production of 95,000 metric tons by 2013, almost twice the production when I took over the ministry little over an year ago.

National Aquaculture Development Authority (NAQDA), which was set up by the President in 1998, as the then Fisheries Minister, will play a major role in this regard. Our aim is to increase the total production of fish to 686,000 metric tons, thereby increasing our per capita daily intake of fish to a healthy 60 grammes by 2013.

Loss of income and livelihood

We have relatively large areas of underutilized freshwater and brackish water bodies, especially in the North and the East, where aquaculture production couldn’t be promoted due to decades of terrorism. Under the leadership of our President, and his vision ‘Mahinda Chinthana Idiri Dakma’, the entire country is making steady progress, trying to rise as one nation, putting aside petty differences.

You can witness it yourself if you travel to remote areas of the country, especially the North and the East, which accounts for more than half of the country’s coast line and dotted with inland water bodies.

These were key areas of fish production in the 70s. However, the drop in production due to terrorism resulted in much loss of income and livelihood to the people in these areas.

Our government is now doing all what it can, to re-develop these areas through improved infrastructure and re-establishing the agricultural and fisheries sectors to its former glory, or even to a higher pedestal.

We have now embarked on an accelerated stocking programme, which will see most of the water bodies in these areas soon becoming active fishing grounds, and areas of aquaculture production, under the ‘Uthuru Vasanthaya’ programme of the ‘Mahinda Chinthana’ Vision document.

When you consider the achievements in aquaculture of some of the countries in the region, I am confident our aquaculture production targets are achievable. I am aware that from humble beginnings, some of the nations here have reached aquaculture production levels as high as 300 metric tons per hectare, for species such as Pangasius catfish, a commendable achievement indeed. This shows our nations are second to none when it comes to aquaculture production technology and product marketing, with several posting annual exports worth billions of dollars. I wish to confess that in comparison, ours is a more humble sector.

On the other hand, in the 'Globalized world' of today, we have many challenges and hurdles to overcome. We are living in an era of uncertainties. In spite of technological developments in food production, gone are the days of unchallenged food security. According to Lester Brown, the founder of 'Earth Policy Institute', the silent mover of global politics has become food. When some scientists predicted possibility of future 'food wars' or 'water wars', and catastrophic environmental changes, nobody took their statements seriously. But these have become a reality in a relatively short time. Thus, aquaculture production, which is closely entwined with the aquatic environment, may experience tough times, if we do not take on-board environmental considerations.

Appropriate technology

Safety of the aquaculture environment too is of paramount importance. Water is said to be a 'universal solvent', and thus, aquaculture environment is prone for contamination from agricultural runoffs, which may end up in our food fish. However, we strongly believe that the key to long-term success in aquaculture is the use of appropriate technology, not necessarily advanced technology per se, and sustainable, environment-friendly production practices, which bring in long-term, sustainable socio-economic benefits to the fish farmer. It is in this respect, this Ministerial Meeting will be of much importance to us, as most of the countries participating have achieved these goals to a varying extent. Undoubtedly, we have a lot to learn from them. This meeting undoubtedly offers ample opportunities for us to learn and discuss, not only technical aspects, but also policy dimensions of aquaculture development, with a close look at food security, nutrition and economic development of the populations at large."