Abstract:
Sustainable utilization of the fishery resources along with manpower is one of the most important aspects of
fisheries science. Although a huge manpower is available in the fisheries sector, lapses in knowledge also
prevalent in various subsections of fishery related occupations. In this scenario, this paper attempts to
evaluate the various levels of fisheries education in Sri Lanka. It has been observed that clear demarcation of
the level of fisheries education such as undergraduate, postgraduate, and basic level exists in Sri Lanka.
Although a low level of student enrolment, university education of fisheries and aquaculture is at satisfactory
level. Expansion of fisheries education for basic levels such as education of fisherwomen needs to be
improved. Scientific dissemination of knowledge by published works such as journals should further be
expanded and indexing of those journals in reputable and reliable databases is needed. Several constraints in
Sri Lankan fisheries education such as inadequate funding, low level of student enrolment, quality of the
students and less cooperation with industries etc. were also identified. Therefore, finding possible solutions to
these issues is necessary to ensure the quality of the education in Sri Lanka.
