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Fishermen out of their depth as the catch goes abegging
View(s):An estimated 20 tons of fish caught daily in the Negombo region, are dumped back into the lagoon, for want of a proper market, say fisherman. The catch includes fish such as salayo and yaksalayo.
Sebastian Fernando (51) says that, once the nets are cast, with this being the season for salayo, they are found in plenty, rather than other types of fish.
According to local fisherman Caniute Kuruwitarachige (50) who has engaged in the fishing trade for the last 10 years, the yaksalayo develop a certain type of oil in their bodies, thus making the fish stick to each other when dried out in the sun, and as a result cannot be sold in the local market.
He claims that the oil developed in these fish is the best remedy against cholesterol, while there may be further uses such as canning etc for these types of fish. W. Renuka Fernando (45) father of three, says that he sees no future for the fishing industry in Sri Lanka. In times like these, we have to pay out of our own pockets, which is a loss to us.
Boats use around 40 litres of fuel per day, with a litre costing Rs 106.10. Mr. Fernando went on to say that given a choice, he would migrate to a foreign country. If this problem continues I wouldn’t want my children to engage in this profession, which will cease to exist after my generation.
Kamal Warnakulasuriya (34) said he incurs a daily expenditure of Rs 4,000, and yet, in the past few days, they were not able to sell even a single fish they had caught. He said they had dumped over 500 kg of fish into the sea.
Ceylon Fisheries Corporation Director General Nimal Hettiarachchi, said that this particular variety, the yaksalayo, has no market value “This has extra oil in it and therefore, it is not even suitable to be used as dried fish, that is the main reason they have to throw it”
All Ceylon Fisherman’s Community Trade Union Chairman Roshantha Fernando stated that, even though these people catch fish, they are faced with the problem of not being able to sell them. The local dealers buy what they want and the rest is thrown away. “The government talks of the nation’s pride, what pride is left, if these fishermen have to beg the vendors to buy their products”.
He said, though the fish cannot be utilised for drying, there are various other ways in which it may be used, and the government, instead of proposing a solution to utilise the fish that go waste, seeks to import from other countries. Economics and Social Statistics of Sri Lanka 2013 published by the Central Bank of Sri Lanka show that over Rs 8,935 million has been spent on importing dried fish alone.
A further Rs 8,548 million is spent on importing other types of fish.
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