Wheels move to double fish exports

Ridma Dissanayake

Sri Lanka is making arrangements to boost deep sea fishing and double fish exports including tuna within the next two and half years with the help of new vessels from Japan and China, Fisheries and Aquatic Resources Development Minister Dr. Rajitha Senaratne said.

Addressing a press briefing at the Information Department yesterday, the minister said Sri Lanka was planning to increase its fish export income from US $ 25 million to US $ 500 million by 2015 and exports from US $ 250 million to US $ 500 million. Kiyoshi Kimura of Japan known as the Tuna King visited Sri Lanka. He is planning to bring about four vessels for deep sea fishing. Kimura also plans to build vessels in collaboration with Sri Lanka’s Cey-Nor company to be operated out of Sri Lanka, Senaratne said.Kimura is eventually expected to help operate 20 deep sea fishing vessels from Sri Lanka, the minister said.

He said around 20 Chinese vessels were also expected to operate from Sri Lanka with about four to six vessels expected in the near future. Vessels from both countries are to be registered in Sri Lanka and operated under the Sri Lankan flag, the minister said.

Senaratne said he was planning to begin a training course for captains while Japan and China agreed to recruit Sri Lankan crew for theirships.

The minister said Sri Lanka exported fish products worth US $ 256 million last year out of which about 45 percent was tuna.

“Several foreign flagged deep sea fishing vessels from Taiwan, Indonesia and Malaysia operating in international waters land their catch in Sri Lanka for export. There are about 200 landings a year.

Though Sri Lanka has about 3,000 multi-day boats, only about 300 vessels are operated in the deep sea and most are engaged in coastal fisheries,” he said.

Senarathne said Sri Lanka expected the ‘yellow card’ warning from the European Commission for alleged illegal vessels would be removed. The minister said tough action had been taken against illegal, unregistered and unregulated vessels and he informed about this to top officials in charge of fisheries of the European Commission.

Sri Lanka had taken steps to ban all illegal fishing methods such as dynamite, light course fishing and stopped the sale and import of nets that damage fisheries resources.