Source: Daily Mirror
The Indian Ocean Tuna Commission (IOTC) had decided to hold its 16th annual conference in Sri Lanka in March this year. According to its minister all past accusations on IUU fishing by Sri Lankan tuna fleets have proven to be false.
IOTC Executive Secretary Anganuzzi, who visited Sri Lanka recently, informed Minister of Fisheries Dr. Rajitha Senaratne that the commission had decided to hold their annual conference in Sri Lanka. He had acknowledged that Sri Lanka had maintained international standards when it came to legal fishing and meeting IOTC criteria.
Minister Senaratne, who responded to Mr. Anganuzzi, recalled that he had participated in the conference which had been held in Australia the previous year. He said that a Sri Lankan minister had participated in such a conference after four years. He said he was able to stop the possible blocking of Sri Lanka’s tuna and the loss of its preferential duty status to the European community at the Conference.
He pointed out that Mr. Anganuzzi during his visit had been able to see for himself that the accusation made against Sri Lanka of using Illegal Unreported Unregulated (IUU) methods for fishing was false.
He said the country had already taken steps to adopt a proper monitoring system to make sure that these types of methods were not used in the Island.