New laws to curb harmful practices pertaining to fishing will soon be introduced in Parliament. Hon. Douglas Devananda, Minister of Fisheries and Hon. Kanchana Wijesekera, State Minister made revealed the above at the Ministerial Consultative Committee on Fisheries held in Parliament yesterday (16).
Hon. Kanchana Wijesekera, State Minister 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.
The Hon. State Minister said that attention has been paid to provide different colors to facilitate the identification of fishing boats.
Further, Hon. 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.
Hon. 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. Hon. 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.
Hon. Members of Parliament Mayadunna Chinthaka Amal, Karunadasa Kodithuwakku, Sivanesathurai Santhirakanthan, (Dr.) Suren Raghavan, Sudath Manjula, Asanka Navaratne, Ajith Rajapakse, Secretary to the Ministry of Fisheries and other government officials were also present at this Committee meeting.