A special District Fisheries Coordination Committee meeting was held at the Monaragala District Secretariat on 30th of September under the patronage of Deputy Minister of Fisheries, Aquatic and Ocean Resources, Mr. Rathna Gamage, to discuss and provide solutions to the problems faced by the freshwater fishing community in the Monaragala District.
The event was attended by Member of Parliament, Attorney-at-Law Sarath Kumara, Additional District Secretary of Monaragala, Secretary to the Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries of the Uva Province, Additional Secretary of the Ministry of Fisheries, Divisional Secretaries, Chairpersons of the National Aquaculture Development Authority (NAQDA) and Fisheries Corporation, as well as senior officers from the Police, Wildlife, Irrigation and Environment Departments.
Here, the problems faced by fishermen, especially in the major reservoirs such as Weheragala and Senanayake Samudra, as well as in medium-sized tanks, were discussed at length. Attention was also drawn to prevent the use of prohibited nets and illegal fishing methods.
Representatives of the fishing organizations pointed out that the fish harvest obtained by allowing fishing activities only from 6.00 am to 6.00 pm in the reservoirs belonging to national wildlife parks is not sufficient. They requested the permission to set nets at night and remove them in the next morning.
The Chairman of the National Aquaculture Development Authority explained that the existing legal framework should be changed to extend this period and that discussions should be held with the Ministry of Environment and the Department of Wildlife for this. Likewise, the Uva Provincial Secretary agreed to provide allocations of the provincial ministry to resolve infrastructure issues such as the development of fishing piers and access roads.
Speaking on the occasion, the General Secretary of the National Fisheries Federation, L.G. Ajantha Kumara, stressed the need to free the fishing community from the mentality of aid recipients and transform it into sustainable fishing entrepreneurs. He also pointed out that they should be empowered to market their harvest as value-added products, free from intermediaries, through strong fishing societies.
Following the discussion, the Deputy Minister visited the Weheragala Reservoir and met the fishing community and discussed their problems further. He assured that steps would be taken to provide a speedy solution in consultation with the wildlife and environmental authorities regarding the extension of the fishing net casting period.
