New laws to be introduced to stop harmful fishing practices

New laws to curb harmful practices pertaining to fishing will soon be introduced in Parliament soon, Minister of FisheriesDouglas Devananda and State Minister Kanchana Wijesekera informed at the Ministerial Consultative Committee on Fisheries held in Parliament yesterday (16).

State MinisterKanchana Wijesekera,  stated that harmful fishing methods are being implemented in many parts of the country and if this situation is not managed properly, the fisheries resources will be subjected to rapid depletion. He also said that a special program would be launched soon to introduce new laws to curb the menace of certain harmful methods that catch not only small fish but also fish eggs.

State Minister also said that attention has been paid to provide different colors to facilitate the identification of fishing boats. Further, Minister Douglas Devananda stated that steps will be taken to expedite the development project of the Point Pedro Fisheries Harbor which is currently stalled.

The Minister also said that the Asian Development Bank (ADB), which was supposed to provide financial assistance for this project, has stopped providing assistance and is considering seeking assistance from other parties.

State Minister Kanchana Wijesekera said that five fishing harbors including Point Pedro will be established in the Northern Province and steps will be taken to expedite the development of the Point Pedro Port under a public-private partnership.

Member of Parliament Ajith Rajapakse stressed the need to improve the basic facilities of fishing villages in many parts of the country. In response, the state minister said that he was working with the Ministry of Urban
Development and Housing to construct new houses in fishing villages. Meanwhile, the government is also focusing on providing facilities to rebuild the livelihoods of the fishing community affected by the adverse weather conditions, the state minister said.