FOUR DECADES OF INLAND FISHERIES AND AQUACULTURE DEVELOPMENT IN SRI LANKA

Abstract

A capture fishery at the subsistence level was in existence in the 1960s and 1970s with the introduction of O reoch rom is m ossam bicu s into man-made lakes and reservoirs in Sri Lanka in the mid 1950s. With the first policy decision by the government in the early 1970s to enhance fish production from inland water bodies, Chinese and Indian major carps were introduced to Sri Lanka inland water bodies after its successful artificial insemination at the Freshwater Fish Breeding & Experimental Stations (FWFB&ES) at Udawalawe and Dambulla during the mid to late 1970s and 1980s. The government also introduced a boat and fishing gear subsidy scheme and a pond subsidy scheme to enhance inland freshwater fish production during the same period. Under the first Asian Development Bank funded Inland Fisheries & Aquaculture Development Project (IFADP), funds were provided to develop Culture Based Fisheries (CBF) and for shrimp hatchery and farm development. All these efforts by the government succeeded in enhancing inland fish production from 8331 MT in 1970 to 39,900 MT by 1989. With the ceasing of government patronage to inland fisheries and aquaculture development in 1990, the inland fish production dropped to 12,000 MT in 1994. With the re-establishment of government patronage in 1995, the inland fisheries and aquaculture development programmes were recommenced. The shrimp aquaculture programme initiated by the government in mid 1980 continued undeterred due mainly to the resilience of the private sector amid problems of shrimp disease which affected the industry. In order to give greater autonomy to the Inland Fisheries Development Division (IFDB), the National Aquaculture Development Authority (NAQDA) was established by an Act of Parliament in 1998, which took over the overall inland fisheries and aquaculture development, including the shrimp aquaculture and ornamental fish breeding programmes. Inland fish production from capture and aquaculture from 1970 to 2010 is presented in this paper. Also, the government contributions and its effects from 1999 to 2010 after NAQDA was established have been presented and discussed. It is seen that the cost to the government in relation to inland freshwater fish production was Rs. 4.27 per Kg of freshwater fish. During 1999 - and 2010 a total quantity of 439,570,000 Kg of freshwater fish was produced, bringing fn a total revenue of Rs. 43,957,000,000 (Rs. 43.96 BN at the modest rate of Rs. 100 per Kg of freshwater fish), which has been added to the rural economy.