“Sri Lanka’s Tuna Harvest Will Be Increased To 130,000 MT”ff

Source: Ceylon Daily News

All measures are in place to increase the annual Tuna fish harvest upto 130,000 metric tons and the per capita fish consumption in Sri Lanka up to 21 kilograms by 2013 Fisheries and Aquatic Resources Development Minister Dr. Rajitha Senaratne said.

“The per capita fish consumption in the country has already increased up to 15 kilograms with the ending of the war which prevailed in the country for nearly 30 years.”

In 2009, the annual fish consumption of a person was only 11.4 kilograms, but it had increased by 38 percent during the last two years,” the minister said.

Minister Senaratne was addressing the national workshop on Tuna Marketing and Management held at the Galadari Hotel, recently. The Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) organized this workshop with the Infofish Institute which had paid close attention on the coastal regions in Asia including Sri Lanka, India, Iran, Maldives and Pakistan.

“This program introduced the Long Line system for reducing post harvest pollution. Those engaged in the fisheries industry can obtain a bigger fish harvest through the Long Line system which helps to catch fish without damage.”

“It also helps to retain the nutritional, quality and freshness of the harvest as well. The multiday fishing vessels in our country are already using the Long Line system.”

“Other vessels have also used this system during the period before terrorism and they have obtained a large Tuna fish harvest of 2150 metric tons annually in the 1980s.”

“We hope to introduce this system to all parts of the country with the aim of increasing the annual Tuna fish harvest up to 130,000 metric tons,” the minister said.

Fisheries and Aquatic Resources Development Ministry secretary Dr. Damitha de Soysa, FAO Sri Lankan representative Patrick Evans and Tuna fish industrialists also participated.