COUNTRY STATUS REPORT

ON

SRI LANKA *

CONTENTS

Page

Introduction 227 ................................................ Marine Fisheries 227 ............................................ Inland and Brackish Waters 228 .................................. Small-Scale Fisheries in Sri Lanka 228 .......................... Harbours and Anchorages 234 ...................................... Marketing and Distribution 234 .................................. Small-Scale Fishermen's Organization 235 ........................ Fishermen's Welfare ......................................... 236

* By C.R.B. Fernando, Planning and Programming Division, Ministry of Fisheries, Galle Face, Colombo 3, Sri Lanka.

INTRODUCTION

S r i Lanka is s i t u a t e d i n t h e Indian Ocean sou th e a s t of I n d i a and l i e s wi th in t h e l a t i t u d e s 6 O North - 10° North and longi tudes 80° East - 82O East . The country has a c o a s t l i n e of 1,100 m i l e s and a land a r e a of 25,332 sq . mi les i n c l u s i v e of 3,963 sq . mi les of l a r g e in l and waters . With t h e promulgation of t h e Exclusive Economic Zone i n 1976, S r i Lanka has sovereign r i g h t s over an a r e a of about 90,000 sq. mi les o f t h e sea .

F ish ing has been a t r a d i t i o n a l occupation i n t h e c o a s t a l a r e a s of S r i Lanka f o r cen tu r i e s . Fishing t a k e s p l ace around t h e coas t wi th a concent ra t ion wi th in t h e c o n t i n e n t a l edge which i s an a r e a wi th in 25 mi les of f t h e coas t and averaging 14 mi les i n width. Waters w i th in t h e Exclusive Economic Zone of 200 mi les r ep re sen t t h e p r i n c i p a l resources open f o r e x p l o i t a t i o n by S r i Lankan fishermen. Access t o a p a r t o f t h e Pedro Bank is a l s o ava i l ab l e .

The F i s h e r i e s Sec tor i n S r i Lanka has a r e l a t i v e l y h igh importance i n t h e economy compared t o t h a t i n most coun t r i e s . The va lue added t o Gross Nat ional Product by t h e f i s h e r i e s s e c t o r i n 1977 and 1978 a t 1963 cons tan t p r i c e s was R s . 171.8 m i l l i o n and R s . 182.2 m i l l i o n r e s p e c t i v e l y . This i s 1.4% and 1.3% of t h e G.N.P. The indus t ry is r e l a t i v e l y labour i n t e n s i v e and provides f u l l t ime employment t o about 68,000 persons i n a c t i v e f i s h i n g and t o about 14,000 persons i n a n c i l l i a r y occupat ion such a s boa t bu i ld ing , i c e making, f i s h n e t manufacturing, f i s h cur ing and marketing and d i s t r i b u t i o n of f i s h .

The i n d u s t r y i s a l s o important f o r t h e reason t h a t it s u p p l i e s a s u b s t a n t i a l p ropor t ion o f t h e animal p r o t e i n requirements consumed by t h e populat ion o f S r i Lanka. In 1978 t h e F i s h e r i e s Sec tor con t r ibu t ion was 55%. Exports of f i s h and f i s h products i n 1978 con t r ibu ted R s . 233 m i l l i o n t o S r i Lanka's t o t a l export earn ings , i . e . about 1 .8 of t o t a l export earn ings .

Due t o t h e s e reasons success ive Governments have pa id p rog res s ive ly increased a t t e n t i o n t o t h e development of t h e F i s h e r i e s Sec tor . The c rea- t i o n of a s e p a r a t e M i n i s t r y - f o r F i she r i e s i n 1970 is a c l e a r r e f l e c t i o n of t h i s a t t i t u d e . During t h e p a s t decade t h e c a p i t a l expendi ture of t h e Government f o r f i s h e r i e s development has i nc reased from R s . 13.59 m i l l i o n i n 1970/71 t o Rs . 125.08 m i l l i o n i n 1979. Provis ion f o r 1980 i s R s . 236.4 mi l l i on .

2. MARINE FISHERIES

For convenience o f management, t h e Marine F i s h e r i e s i n S r i Lanka is gene ra l ly d iv ided i n t o t h r e e sub-sec tors , namely:

( a ) Coastal F ishery (b) Off -shore F ishery ( c ) Deep-sea o r Oceanic Fishery

Coas ta l f i s h e r y

This i s def ined i n r e l a t i o n t o f i s h i n g a c t i v i t y as t h e a r e a of t h e s e a which extends up t o 25 mi les o f f t h e coas t . There has been a number of surveys of t h e f i s h r e sou rces a v a i l a b l e i n t h i s a r e a , and e s t ima te s o f annual s u s t a i n a b l e y i e l d s range from 250,OO- t o n s t o as much a s 850,000 t o n s . The most r e c e n t survey c a r r i e d out by t h e Norwegian v e s s e l " D r . F r i d t j o f Nansen" i n 1978/79 concluded t h a t " the t o t a l biomass of S r i Lanka's c o a s t a l s h e l f and immediately ad j acen t waters i s assessed a t 750,000 t o n s . A sus t a ined annual p o t e n t i a l y i e l d from t h e s e resources i s i n d i c a t e d t o be about 250,000 t o n s o f which about 80,000 t o n s r ep re sen t l a r g e demersal and semi-demersal f i s h . " Present product ion i s i n t h e reg ion of 140,000 tons .

Off-shore f i s h e r y i s def ined a s t h e a r e a o f t h e Exclusive Economic Zone between 25 mi les and 60 mi l e s from t h e coas t .

Deep-sea f i s h e r y i s def ined as t h e a r e a beyond 60 mi les from t h e c o a s t . The r e sou rces i n t h e s e a r e a s a r e deep-sea ye l lowf in and big-eye tuna and spec i e s such a s sk ip j ack , mar l in , swordfish and shark. However, t h e magnitude of t h e r e sou rces i s not accu ra t e ly known.

3 . INLAND AND BRACKISH WATERS

There a r e over 300,000 a c r e s of brackish water e s t u a r i e s and lagoons and 344,000 a c r e s of i n l and r e s e r v o i r s and t anks i n S r i Lanka. The in l and r e s e r v o i r s and t anks can be f u r t h e r d iv ided i n t o major r e s e r v o i r s and t anks which u s u a l l y c a r r y water a l l t h e yea r round ( i . e . , 175,000 a c r e s ) and t h e r e s e r v o i r s and t anks which do not c a r r y water a l l t h e year round ( i . e . , 169,000 a c r e s ) . Present product ion i n t h e in l and waters i s es t imated a t 16,000 tons .

4 . SMALL-SCALE FISHERIES I N SRI LANKA

Except f o r l i m i t e d of f -shore and deep-sea f i s h i n g undertaken by t h e Ceylon F i s h e r i e s Corporation and t h e handful of S r i Lankan Companies under- t a k i n g off-shore f i s h i n g , t h e e n t i r e f i s h i n g e f f o r t i s by smal l - sca le fishermen ope ra t ing i n t h e c o a s t a l s e c t o r which i s t h e most important s e c t o r i n terms of t h e number of opera t ing c r a f t , q u a n t i t y of f i s h landed and employment provided a s t h e fol lowing f i g u r e s i n d i c a t e :

a) . Fishing Craf t

Type of Craft 1976 1977 1978 1979 No. No. No. No.

Coastal

28-32 f t . inboard mechaniaed 2445

17 112 f t . FRP outboard mechanised 1

Tradi t ional outboard ) - mechanised 1

Tradi t ional non- mechanised

Total

Off-shore & Deep-sea

Trawlers

Tuna Boats

10/11 ton boats

Tota l

Inland

Trad i t iona l non-mechanised

Tota l

* estimate

b). Production 1976 -

Sub-sector Qty. 2 Qty. % Qty. % Qty. %

Coastal 120,849 90.4 123,411 90.4 134,744 87.4 147,500 87.9

Inland 12,343 9.2 12,863 9.4 16,474 10.7 17,150 10.2 - - - Total 133,731 100.0 136,581 100.0 154,121 100.0 167,860 100.0

Q = Quant i ty i n tons.

c ) . Employment

Coas ta l

No. of No. of Persons % Persons %

Off-shore & Deep-sea 380 0.6 330 0.5

In land 1.000 1 .5 1.335 1 .9

Tot a 1 67,000 100.0 68,700 100.0

The Master Plan f o r S r i Lanka's f i s h e r i e s development drawn up f o r implementation dur ing t h e per iod 1979-1983 accords t h e h ighes t p r i o r i t y t o t h e c o a s t a l s e c t o r . One of t h e o b j e c t i v e s of t h e p lan is t o " r a i s e t h e income and s t anda rd of l i v i n g o f t h e fishermen who a r e among t h e l e a s t favoured groups i n t h e community." The Master Plan aims a t i nc reas ing t h e t o t a l product ion of f i s h over t h e p lan per iod from t h e l e v e l of 154,000 t o n s i n 1978 t o 300,000 t o n s i n 1983. The con t r ibu t ion from t h e c o a s t a l s e c t o r i s expected t o i nc rease from 135,000 t o n s i n 1978 t o 216,000 t o n s i n 1983 which i s a 60% inc rease .

The Inland F i s h e r i e s S e c t o r , which i s a l s o exc lus ive ly a smal l - sca le s e c t o r where fishermen ope ra t e wi th non-mechanized c r a f t us ing a r t i s a n a l methods of e x p l o i t a t i o n , i s a l s o given h igh p r i o r i t y i n view of t h e h igh p o t e n t i a l t h a t t h i s Sec to r has i n terms of a v a i l a b i l i t y of water f o r increased s tocking and ha rves t ing . The ha rves t ing of in land f i s h is l e s s expensive than ope ra t ions i n marine waters s i n c e i n most ca ses indigenous wooden c r a f t powered by c a r s a r e used. Furthermore, i n l and f i s h i n g provides cheap s u p p l i e s of f i s h t o t h e h i t e r - l and by e l imina t ing expensive t r a n s p o r t and processing c o s t s . A major programme f o r s tocking and ha rves t ing in l and f i s h has been launched and dur ing t h e p lan pe r iod product ion i s t o be increased from t h e p re sen t l e v e l of 16,000 t o n s t o 50,000 tons .

The achievement of t h e product ion t a r g e t s i n t h e Marine and t h e In land Sec tors would be l a r g e l y dependent on t h e e f f o r t s of t h e smal l - sca le fishermen. P o l i c i e s and s t r a t e g i e s formulated by Government t o i nc rease t h e product ion e f f o r t of t h e smal l - sca le fishermen a r e descr ibed i n t h e fol lowing paragraphs:

F ish ing v e s s e l s

The main s t r a t e g y adopted f o r t h e development of t h e c o a s t a l f i s h e r i e s is t h e mechanization of c r a f t . Mechanization of t r a d i t i o n a l c r a f t a s a Government po l i cy was i n i t i a t e d i n mid-1950's and t h i s programme has c o n t r i - buted t o cons iderable i n c r e a s e s i n product ion i n t h e p a s t as t h e fol lowing f i g u r e s would i n d i c a t e . About 65% of t h e p re sen t product ion i n t h e c o a s t a l s e c t o r i s from mechanized c r a f t .

1972 Type of Craft Tons - Tons -

1978 Tons -

1. 28-32 f t . inboard engined c r a f t 38,642 42,346 49,081

2. 17-23 f t . and o ther ) outboard engined ) c r a f t 50,646 29,550 38,124

3. non-mechanized c r a f t 1

Total 89,288 113,056 134,539

The Master Plan envisages t h e cont r ibut ion of t h e mechanization programme by t h e in t roduct ion of t h e following numbers of boats and engines over t h e plan period, i n t o t h e c o a s t a l f i she ry . Production increases expected by 1983 i s 80,220 tons .

Production t a r g e t

Type of Craft No. t o be issued (Tons)

1. 28-32 f t . boats 2. 17-1/2 FRP boats

3. Outboard engines t o mechanized t r a d i t i o n a l c r a f t and f o r replacement 6450

Subsidies f o r mechanization

To enable small-scale fishermen t o mechanize t h e i r t r a d i t i o n a l c r a f t and t o inves t i n new mechanized c r a f t , t h e F i she r i e s Ministry administers a subsidy scheme. To ensure t h a t small-scale fishermen a r e t h e benef i c i a r i e s of t h i s scheme t h e subsidy i s r e s t r i c t e d t o bona f i d e fishermen. The d e t a i l s of t h e subsidy scheme a r e a s fol lows:

Dscription Government Subsidy

New and replacement outboard and 50% of t h e cos t of t h e engine inboard engines

New 17-24 f t . f i b r e g l a s s vesse l s 35% of t h e cos t of h u l l , engine and f i s h i n g gear

28-32 f t . f i b r e g l a s s and wooden 35% of t h e cos t of h u l l , engine vesse l s and f i s h i n g gear

32-40 f t . wooden f i b r e g l a s s o r 35% of t h e cos t of h u l l and engine f e r r o concrete vesse l s

The following f i g u r e s i n d i c a t e t h e number of boats and engines >issued and t h e amounts of subsidy paid under t h e mechanization programme during t h e l a s t th ree years .

a ) Boats and engines issued

i. 28-32 f t . mechanized boats 224 245 710

ii. Inboard engines - Nos. 10 7 4 5 160

iii. Outboard engines - Nos. 1,190 2,163 3,151

b ) Subsidy payments Res. mi l l ion 3.95 15.56 38.80

Increasing expenditures on subs id ies have been necess i t a t ed by genera l p r i c e increases of boats , engines and f i s h i n g gear.

Subsidies f o r sail-powered c r a f t

With t h e increase i n t h e p r i c e of f o s s i l f u e l s and t h e increased p r i c e s of syn the t i c boat bui ld ing mate r i a l and f i s h i n g gear , t h e Ministry a l s o now follows a pol icy of encouraging t h e use of non-mechanized c r a f t and t h e use of a l t e r n a t i v e boat bui ld ing mater ia ls . A subsidy scheme has been formulated t o promote t h e use of s a i l s .

Subsidies f o r in land f i s h e r i e s

To encourage more fishermen t o p a r t i c i p a t e i n in land f i s h e r i e s Government has approved two subsidy schemes, namely:

1, A subsidy on indigenous c r a f t used f o r f i s h i n g i n in land tanks and r e s e r v o i r s and;

2. A subsidy on t h e construct ion of ponds f o r f i s h farming.

Credit

The Ministry recognizes t h a t subs id ies alone w i l l not reduce t h e f i n a n c i a l dependence of t h e fishermen on money lenders and f i s h t r a d e r s . Since small-scale fishermen' do not have the necessary f i n a n c i a l resources t o purchase boats , engines and gear even a t subsidized c o s t s , they have t o obta in loans from t h e s e t r a d e r s and money lenders a t exorbi tant r a t e s of i n t e r e s t and thereby become indebted and a r e a l s o not f r e e t o dispose of t h e i r f i s h catches. The Ministry of Fisher ies i n col labora t ion with t h e two S t a t e owned Banks - t h e Bank of Ceylon and the People 's Bank has formulated a comprehensive and l i b e r a l bank c r e d i t scheme. The p r i n c i p a l f e a t u r e s of t h i s scheme a r e t h a t it covers t h e requirements of working c a p i t a l a s well a s f ixed c a p i t a l and a l s o t h e requirements of f inance f o r housing, personal d i s t r e s s , durable consumer goods, e t c . I n t e r e s t r a t e s a r e lower than market r a t e s . C o l l a t e r a l requirements a r e l e s s s t r i n g e n t and re-payment periods a r e t i e d t o earnings.

The Bank scheme f o r t h e purchase of f u l l y equipped f i s h i n g c r a f t opera tes i n t h e following manner:

( i ) The Government subs id ises 35% of t h e t o t a l c o s t of t h e h u l l , engine and t h e f i s h i n g gear . The Banks lend a sum equal t o 88% of t h e cos t ne t of t h e subsidy requ i r ing fishermen t o cont r ibute only 12% of t h e cos t n e t of t h e subsidy a s t h e i r down payment.

( i i ) The Banks accept guarantees by:

Two income t a x payers one of whom has t o be a wealth t a x payer.

One income t a x payer and two owners o f mechanized boats 28 f t . o r over i n length.

Three owners of mechanized boats of 28 f t . o r over i n length.

Two owners of mechanized boats which a r e over 32 f t . i n length.

Five owners of mechanized boats 17-24 f t . i n length.

Any o the r type of guarantee acceptable t o t h e Bank.

A s a l i e n t f ea tu re is t h e acceptance by t h e Bank of i n t e r e s t guarantees by a group of 5 fishermen.

Other f a c i l i t i e s from F i she r i e s Banks include advances f o r t h e purchases of spares and f i s h i n g gear , s p e c i a l loans during t h e o f f seasons t o permit fishermen t o engage themselves i n a l t e r n a t e employment, loans f o r housing e t c . on t h e following bas is :

( a ) For purchase of small boats and f i s h i n g gear up t o a maximum of R s . 5,000.

( b ) Housing loans - R s . 5,000.

( c ) Consumer c r e d i t - R s . 1,000.

( d ) For repayment of loans taken from non-Bank sources.

( e ) Dis t ress loans - R s . 500.

These measures provide the fishermen an a l t e r n a t i v e t o t h e i r t r a d i t i o n a l c r e d i t arrangements with t h e t r a d e r s t o whom they were perpetual ly i n debt and which offered l i t t l e incent ive t o production.

Avai lab i l i tv of ~ r o d u c t i o n i n ~ u t s

Shortages i n t h e supply of boats , f i sh ing gear and spare p a r t s have se r ious ly a f fec ted production i n t h e pas t . It i s estimated t h a t t h e annual l o s s i n f i s h production because of these shortages i s about 72,000 tons . The new subsidy and c r e d i t schemes have assured e x i s t i n g boatyards a f i r m market f o r t h e i r boats . The s e t t i n g up of new boatyards have been promoted through f i s c a l incent ives . Boat designs a r e being improved through s p e c i f i c fore ign-ass is ted p r o j e c t s while competition among l o c a l boatyards has a l s o l e d t o improvements i n design.

With l i b e r a l i z a t i o n of imports t h e supply of engines and p a r t i - c u l a r l y engine spare p a r t s has improved. Since t h e choice of t h e make of engines i s l e f t t o the fishermen t h e r e i s considerable competition among engine importers t o provide adequate suppl ies of engine spares and improved a f t e r s a l e s service .

A s i m i l a r improvement .is observed i n t h e suppl ies of f i s h i n g gear with import l i b e r a l i z a t i o n and el imination of monopolies i n regard t o imports. In addi t ion a number of new f i s h i n g n e t f a c t o r i e s a r e being s e t up with encouragement given i n t h e form of f i s c a l incent ives .

5. HARBOURS AND ANCHORAGES

The provision of harbours and anchorages have a d i r e c t bearing on f i s h production. The pol icy followed under t h e Master Plan i s t o avoid t h e construct ion of l a r g e f i s h e r y harbours which w i l l not serve t h e small- s c a l e fishermen operat ing small vesse l s , Instead t h e Ministry proposes t o make the maximum use of cheaper a l t e r n a t i v e s t o harbours such a s lagoons, canals and e s t u a r i e s which could provide s u i t a b l e anchorage f a c i l i t i e s t o f i s h i n g boats .

A f u r t h e r problem t h a t is i n h i b i t i n g t h e growth of t h e small-scale f i she ry i s t h e lack of shore f a c i l i t i e s i n most of the landing cent res . Of the over 400 f i s h landing cent res sca t t e red along t h e coas t , a l a r g e number i s located away from commercial cent res . This r e s u l t s i n e i t h e r t h e fishermen having t o waste much of t h e i r time commuting t o market p laces f o r t h e purchase of inputs such a s f i sh ing gear , s a l t , i c e , engine spares and f u e l . Where these inputs a r e made ava i l ab le by t r a d e r s , t h e fishermen have t o pay exorbi tant p r i ces . With a view t o providing t h e bas ic se rv ice f a c i l i t i e s and amenit ies t o t h e fishermen near t h e f i s h landing cen t res and permi t t ing them t o increase t h e i r f i sh ing time F i she r i e s Service Centres a r e being opened i n landing cent res .

MARKETING AND DISTRIBUTION

The major por t ion of t h e f i s h ca tch i s marketed by f i s h t r a d e r s and o ther middlemen who very o f t en exp lo i t t h e fishermen by not paying them f a i r pr ices . The operat ion of the Bank Credit Scheme has reduced t h e depen: dence of the fishermen on t r a d e r s and middlemen f o r t h e i r requirements of c r e d i t .

Another measure designed t o help f i s h producers t o obta in f a i r and reasonable p r i c e s i s t h e establishment of new f i s h auction cen t res and t h e improvement of e x i s t i n g cent res . Competitive bidding a t auct ions by t h e Ceylon F i she r i e s Corporation, Cey-Nor Foundation Ltd., and t h e F i she r i e s Cooperatives i s being encouraged.

The Ceylon F i she r i e s Corporation which i s t h e S t a t e marketing agency w i l l p lay an a c t i v e and vigorous r o l e i n f i s h marketing by e s t a b l i s h i n g more purchasing cen t res and thereby handling an increased percentage of t h e catch.

The programme t o s e t up a s e r i e s of i c e p l a n t s and beach holding rooms near major f i s h i n g cent res is a l s o designed t o help t h e small-scale fishermen t o obta in b e t t e r p r i ces by increas ing t h e i r bargaining power enabling them t o make t h e i r own arrangements regarding despatch of f i s h and by improving t h e q u a l i t y of t h e f i s h sold t o the t r a d e r s .

SMALL-SCALE FISHERMEN'S ORGANIZATION

F i she r i e s c o o ~ e r a t i v e s

Cooperative organizat ion i n t h e f i s h e r i e s s e c t o r were a c t i v e l y encouraged and promoted by t h e Government. Though these were meant t o benef i t t h e small-scale fishermen and t o increase production of f i s h , these objec t ives were not r e a l i z e d due t o i n e f f i c i e n t management and corruption. The Cooperative Repair Fund System whereby a percentage of t h e earnings of the f i s h ca tch was reserved f o r r e p a i r s t o boats , a t t imes ac ted a s a d i s - incent ive t o t h e e f f i c i e n t fishermen, s ince those who maintained t h e i r engines and boats wel l and recorded good catches had t o subs id i se t h e i n e f f i c i e n t and t h e ca re less fishermen. Losses of f i s h i n g gear were f r e - quent and t h e cooperat ively owned boats f requent ly operated with l e s s than t h e requi red complement of gear.

The i n e f f i c i e n t cooperative operat ions not only a f fec ted prbduction of f i s h adversely but a l s o r e s u l t e d i n heavy losses t o government which was f inancing t h e c a p i t a l c o s t s of purchase of boats through t h e Cooperative Advance Account.

Taking i n t o considerat ion t h e i n e f f i c i e n t manner i n which the cooperat ives operated, s p e c i f i c measures have been taken t o revamp coopera- t i v e s . One f a r reaching and meaningful s t ep was t h e t r a n s f e r of ownership from cooperatives t o t h e skippers. Up t o now over 450 of t h e 900 cooperative boats have been t r ans fe r red t o skippers and already remarkable improvements i n the e f f i c i ency of operat ions and t h e recovery of loans have been recorded.

F isher ies extension service s o c i e t i e s

The a c t i v e fishermen who a r e the most important p a r t i c i p a n t s i n the indust ry were i n the pas t not consulted i n t h e formulation of p o l i c i e s and programmes meant f o r the development of t h e indust ry . With a view t o f u l f i l l i n g t h i s need and t o supplement the e f f o r t s of Fishermens' Cooperatives, F i she r i e s Extension Service Soc ie t i e s have been organized by the Ministry. The primary

funct ions of these Soc ie t i e s w i l l be t o a c t a s a forum a t which t h e i r needs and requirements f o r production a s wel l a s t h e requirements f o r improving t h e q u a l i t y of l i f e w i l l be discussed and p lans made f o r obtaining such requirements from t h e re l evan t a u t h o r i t i e s . It i s a l s o expected t o be a means by which information r e l a t i n g t o government p o l i c i e s , schemes o r measures designed t o benef i t t he fishermen w i l l be disseminated among t h e f i s h i n g community.

8. FISHERMEN 'S WELFARE

Though t h e small-scale fishermen make a s i g n i f i c a n t cont r ibut ion t o p ro te in suppl ies t h e investment h i t h e r t o made on improving t h e l i v i n g condi t ions of t h e fishermen has been very l i t t l e . The f i s h i n g community i s one of t h e most neglected groups i n S r i Lanka. The Socio-Economic Survey of the f i s h i n g population conducted i n 1972 indica ted t h a t of t h e t o t a l of 43,000 f i s h i n g households i n S r i Lanka over 54% were l i v i n g i n temporary s t r u c t u r e s and near ly 60% of t h e population l ived i n dwellings where t h e f l o o r space was l e s s than 300 sq. f t . A more recent a l l - i s l a n d survey c a r r i e d out i n 1978 by t h e D i s t r i c t Extension S ta f f indica ted t h a t the current backlog of f i shemens ' houses is i n t h e region of 10,800 houses. It has a l s o been estimated t h a t t h e number of l a t r i n e s requi red i s 7,000 and t h a t the number of wel ls required i s 1,350.

Taking i n t o considerat ion t h e poor f a c i l i t i e s now ava i l ab le a s s e t out above and recognising t h e urgent need f o r improvement of t h e physica l q u a l i t y of l i f e of t h i s important group of t h e soc ie ty , t h e Ministry has formulated a comprehensive programme f o r t h e construct ion of houses, roads and f o r t h e provision of hea l th f a c i l i t i e s , drinking water and s a n i t a t i o n e t c . Action i s a l s o being taken with t h e re levant a u t h o r i t i e s t o provide b e t t e r services i n education, t r anspor ta t ion and p o s t a l and telecommunica- t i o n s t o small-scale fishermen.

Fishing i s a very hazardous occupation with r i s k t o l i f e a s wel l a s t o property. The Ministry has the re fo re drawn up i n col labora t ion with the Insurance Corporation of S r i Lanka a scheme t o cover these r i s k s . This scheme covers l o s s of l i f e o r c r a f t o r disablement of fishermen o r damage t o c r a f t , Every e f f o r t has been taken t o keep the premium payable a t t h e minimum amount poss ib le , i . e . around 1% of the value of t h e c r a f t .

Another important measure taken i s the i n s t a l l a t i o n of beacon l i g h t s a t s u i t a b l e p laces a s an a i d t o navigation. The removal of obs tac les t o movement of boats from and t o landing cen t res by b l a s t i n g rocks, e t c . is a l s o being done a t a l l necessary points . The provision of f a c i l i t i e s t o communicate d i s t r e s s s igna l s from ship t o shore a s well a s t h e operat ion of a i r c r a f t t o spot fishermen i n d i s t r e s s and coordinate rescue operat ions i s another measure taken t o prevent l o s s of l i f e and c r a f t .

APPENDIX

1. Location: -

2. S ize : - -

COUNTRY DATA - SRI LANKA

S r i Lanka i s s i t u a t e d i n t h e Indian Ocean. South East of India .

La t i tudes - GoNorth - 10°North Longitudes - 80°East - 82OEast

Area - 65,000 sq. km. Coas t l ine - 1,200 km. Cont inenta l Shelf - (180 m.) 30,000 sq. km.

3. Populat ion: - Tota l - 14.2 m i l l i o n - Mid-year e s t ima te f o r 1978 Urban - 22.4% - 1971 Populat ion Census d a t a R u r a l - 77.6% - (1 11 11 11

Density - 2 0 9 p e r k m - 11 11 11 11

GrowthRate - 1.9% - 1978 B i r t h Rate - 28.5% - 1978 Dea thRa te - 6.6% - 1978 Li fe expectancy at b i r t h :

Males - 64.2 - 1971 Females - 67.1 - 1971

Pro jec ted Population ( a t annual growth r a t e o f 1 .9%)

1981 - 15 .1 Mil l ion 1986 - 16.3 "

1991 - 18.1 "

4. Education: - Li t e racy Rate 78.5% - 1971 Populat ion Census d a t a Males 86.5% - 11 11 I 1 1 1

Females 70.9% - 11 11 11 11

No. of Government Schools - 9,718 - 1978 No. of Students i n Govt. Schools - 3,064,873 - 1978

5. Heal th: No. o f h o s p i t a l s - 359 No. of beds - 40,335 No. o f doc to r s - 2,229 Rat io of doc tors p e r 100,000 popula t ion - 15.7 - 1978

6. Nu t r i t i on : - From 1969 - 1970 Socio Economic Survey

Per c a p i t a d a i l y consumption

Recommended Per c a p i t a Source d a i l y d a i l y O i l s & Animal Vege-

Nut r ien t allowance consumption Cereals Fa t s foods t a b l e

Calor ies 2200 2264 53.9 22.1 Pro te in ( g r ) 48 5 3 - - 18.8 81.2

Food expendi tures pe r month

7. Employment:

Item - Cerea ls Cardemant s Pulses Vegetables F r u i t s Meat F i s h Milk and milk products O i l and f a t s Sugar, sugar p re se rves Meals purchased Beverages Liquor and tobacco

T o t a l -

Employment by c a t e g o r i e s

Average expendi ture p e r household (Rs . )

% of labour f o r c e

Agr icu l ture 2.24 m i l l i o n 56 I n d u s t r i e s 0.44 " 11 Services 1.32 l1 3 3 - -

T o t a l 4.00 I===

8. Economy: G.N.P.-1978 T o t a l R s . 1 3 , 6 5 4 . 2 m i l l i o n a t 1 9 6 3 c o n s t a n t p r i c e s . Per Capi ta Nat ional Income Rs. 888.0 a t 1963 cons tan t p r i c e s .

Rate o f Growth of G.N.P. 5.1% average 1972-1978 G.N.P. by I n d u s t r i a l o r i g i n - 1978 a t 1963 cons tan t p r i c e s

Sec to r ( p a l

s. m) Percent

Agr icu l ture , Livestock and F i s h e r i e s 3,915.1 28.7 Wholesale and R e t a i l t r a d e r s 2,399.4 17.6 Manufacturing 1,824.5 12.4 Se rv i ces 1,532.7 11.1 Transport and Communication 1,493.6 11.7 Construct ion 706.2 5.2 Others 1,823.0 - 13.3

To ta l

Gross Domestic Fixed C a p i t a l formation a t 1963 cons t an t p r i c e s 3,011.7 1978

Rate of Growth 10.0% - average 72-78

9. Income l e v e l s : Data g iven below were o b t a i n e d t h r o u g h a Socio-Economic Survey i n 1969/70.

H i s t o r i c a l t r e n d

Average Income p e r month

Rs . Less t h a n 100 100 t o 400 400 & above

T o t a l

19632k

P e r c e n t o f Income P e r c e n t o f

Rece ivers T o t a l

59.2 23.7 36.5 50.5

4.3 25.8

100.0 100.0 a==== ----- -----

1969-70

P e r c e n t o f Income P e r c e n t o f

R e c e i v e r s T o t a l

D i s t r i b u t i o n of households by income groups

Income Group (Rs. p e r month) A l l I s l a n d Urban

Below 100 8 . 1 2.9 100 - 199 34.5 1 8 . 1 200 - 399 37.7 39.6 400 - 599 12 .0 17.9 600 - 799 4 . 1 8.4 800 - 999 1 . 6 5 .1

1000 & over 2.0 8.0

T o t a l 100.0 100.0

R u r a l

9.2 35.2 37.9 1 2 . 0

3.7 1.1 0.9

100.0

E s t a t e

8 .8 52.6 33.5 4 .0 0 .8 0 . 1 0.2

100.0

T o t a l No. of Rura l households 1 ,505,683 71.8 T o t a l No. o f E s t a t e households 247,139 1 1 . 8 A l l households 2,096,737 100.0

Income p e r month p e r household

Average Income Category p e r h o u s e h o l d g ~ ~

Urban R u r a l E s t a t e A l l I s l a n d

R s . 475 R s . 271 R s . 204 R s . 297

P e r C a p i t a Income

Rs. 75.39 Rs. 46.16 Rs. 39.15 Rs. 50.68

* Consumer F inance Survey - 1963 Average no. o f p e r s o n s i n a household i s 5.8 w i t h average number o f income r e c e i v e r 1 . 7

Source o f Income by Major I n d u s t r i a l Group

Major Group

No. o f Income Rece ivers

Agr i cu l t u r e , F o r e s t r y etc. 1,983,972 E l e c t r i c i t y , Gas and Water 22,318 Cons t ruc t ion 424,481 T ranspo r t 191,859 Wholesale and R e t a i l Trades 346,775 Finance, Insurance 16,820 P e t r o l S e r v i c e s 460,393

T o t a l

10. I m ~ o r t s and E x ~ o r t s

Value (Rs. m i l l i o n )

Imports (CIF) Expor t s (FOB)

Balance o f Trade

Trade Index Numbers

Percen t t o t o t a l income r e c e i v e r s

Average income p e r income r e c e i v e r

Imports Volume Index 88 9 7 132 n.a . Expor t s Volume Index 97 89 9 5 1 I

Imports P r i c e Index 158 471 877 11

Exports P r i c e Index 118 382 698 r t

Terms o f Tradefc 75 8 1 80 Ir

11. Colombo Consumer1 s P r i c e Index Numbers - 1952 = 100

T o t a l - 19 72 - 150.9 1977 - 203.2 1978 - 227.8 1979 - 252.3

Group 1972 -,

1977 - 1978 - 1979 - Food 147.5 203.3 237.5 263.3 Fue l & Light 145.9 257.5 262.1 328.3 Rent 109.8 109.8 109.8 109.8 Clo th ing 163.5 223.8 226.2 231.2 Miscel laneous 169.5 208.4 224.8 252.4

T o t a l 150.9 203.2 227.8 252.3

f i Export P r i c e Index Import P r i c e Index

x. 100

12. S ta tus of t h e Fishing Industry

General

Output cont r ibut ion t o t h e economy - a t 1963 constant p r i c e s

Tota l F i she r i e s Year - G.N.P.,? Contribution* Percent

Employment

a Provides employment f o r about 68,000 i n d i r e c t f i s h i n g and f o r about 14,000 i n a n c i l l i a r y a c t i v i t i e s such a s boat bui ld ing, i c e making, f i s h curing and marketing and d i s t r i b u t i o n of f i s h .

(b) About 1000 persons a r e engaged i n t h e in land f i s h e r i e s .

Importance a s source of food

Nearly 55% of t h e animal p ro te in in take is from f i s h .

Export earnings Quan t i ty Tota l Value o f Export edlk2b Exports ( R s .m)

Year - ( tons ) F.O.B.

i n mi l l ion rupees f dr ied weight

The major expor t s a r e f rozen l o b s t e r s and prawns which i n 1978 accounted f o r 84% of t h e va lue o f a l l f i s h expor t s and t h e s e were exported mainly t o Japan and U . S . A .

Government C a p i t a l Ex2enditure on F i s h e r i e s Development

1973 - 11.14 m i l l i o n 1975 - 58.65 I'

1977 - 35.51 " 1978 - 75.00 " 1979 - 125.08 " 1980 - 236.04 (P rov i s ion )

Pub l i c Sec to r P a r t i c i p a t i o n

This i s confined mainly t o t h e p rov i s ion o f i n f r a s t r u c t u r e f a c i l i t i e s while t h e p r i v a t e s e c t o r i s engaged i n a c t u a l f i s h i n g .

Marine F i s h e r i e s

I t i s es t imated t h a t t h e c o a s t a l s t r i p 5 mi les wide around S r i Lanka should y i e l d between 250 t o 510 thousand t o n s o f f i s h p e r yea r . In t h e o f f - sho re and deep-sea f i s h e r i e s annual y i e l d could be about 50,000 t o n s .

In land F i s h e r i e s

A c l a s s i f i c a t i o n of t h e in l and f i s h e r i e s according t o water a r e a s is a s fo l lows :

Fresh Hater 344,000 a c r e s Brackish Water 300,000 I'

While t h e r e i s f a i r l y h igh e x p l o i t a t i o n i n t h e b rack i sh water a r e a s , e x p l o i t a t i o n i n t h e f r e s h water a r e a s i s mainly confined t o l a r g e man-made t anks and t o a few small t anks .

F ish ing C r a f t

The number of f i s h i n g c r a f t s ope ra t ing a s a t end o f 1978 i n t h e marine f i s h e r i e s were 23,367 c l a s s i f i e d a s fo l lows:

Mechanized

Trawlers - 14 Tuna long l i n e r s - 2 10 and 11-ton boa t s - 32 28-32 f o o t 3-1/2-ton boa t s - 2,545 17-18 f o o t f i b r e g l a s s boa t s and

indigenous c r a f t s a l l equipped wi th outboard motors - 7,193

Non-Mechanized

Small indigenous c r a f t s of vary ing s i z e s - 13,581

In a d d i t i o n , about 1000 indigenous c r a f t a r e engaged i n f i s h i n g i n t h e f r e s h water f i s h e r i e s .

Fishery Harbours and Shore F a c i l i t i e s

Fishery Harbours

There a r e seven f i s h e r y harbours with loca t ions a s given below :

Colombo - Mutwal Galle Trincomalee Beruwela Tangalle Mirissa Myliddy

Galle F i she r i e s Harbour i s t h e l a r g e s t . In addi t ion t o anchorage f a c i l i t i e s , t he following shore f a c i l i t i e s a r e ava i l ab le i n t h i s harbour:

Holding room f i s h on i c e 600 tons Frozen f i s h s torage 2400 t o n s Freezing capaci ty 16 tons/day Flake i c e 50 tons/day Ice s torage 150 tons Workshop 37,600 sq. f t .

Marine Repair Workshops

There a r e 56 marine r e p a i r workshops d i s t r i b u t e d along the coas t . Of these 36 workshops undertake r e p a i r s of inboard marine engines while t h e r e s t undertake r e p a i r s of outboard motors only. Many of these workshops a r e auto-engine r e p a i r o r genera l engineering shops.

Ice P lan t s ( a s a t t h e beginning of 1979)

Located i n Colombo

Capacity No. tons /day

Pr iva te Sector Plants 7 168

Public Sector Plants 2

Located i n o the r a reas

Capacity No. tons /day

Boatyards

There a r e 43 boatyards r e g i s t e r e d with the Ministry of Fisher ies . Of these t h e major producers of f i b r e g l a s s a r e only f i v e with loca t ions a s given below:

Name - Locat ion

Neil Marine Negombo Walkers Mutwal Ceylon F i she r i e s Corporation Mattakuliya Cey-nor Foundat ion Ltd . Karainagar Consolidated Engineers Trincomalee

Fishing Net Factor ies

There a r e tow domestic producers of f i s h i n g n e t s .

They a r e : ( 1 ) J . B . Indus t r i e s Ltd. - Wellampitiya ( 2 ) Cey-Nor Development

Foundation Ltd. - Gurunagar , Kottegoda

and together they a r e ab le t o s a t i s f y only about demand.

Volume of Fish Production

Sector 1970 -

Q v.

Coast a 1

Inland

Q v.

Tota l

Q 96608 Rate (1) - V. 155.8 Rate ( 1 ) -

Q = Quantity i n t o n s V = Value i n rupees mi l l ion

40% of the

Rate = i n percentage compared t o 1970

Major output/products

Processed Products

Product Production ( tons )

Fish Chil led o r Frozen 1383 Dried Fish 9008 Canned Fish 31 Fish Meal 200 Shark Liver O i l 1053 gal lons

Exports of Processed Products

Product

Prawns 1283 50.1 1281 Lobsters 253 14.5 38 5 Fish 165 4.6 268 Shark f i n s &

Fish Maws 60 2.7 59 Beche-de-mer 93 3.2 5 0 Others 50 0.4 31 - - -

Total 1904 75.5 2074 1 1 1 19-- 1-19

Q = Quant i ty i n tons V = Value i n mi l l ion rupees

Export share of t o t a l output

Almost t h e e n t i r e processed products, prawns, l o b s t e r s , f i s h , shark f i n s and f i s h maws, beche-de-mer a r e exported. Canned f i s h and shark o i l a r e f o r l o c a l consumption.

Markets demand

End users

About 85% of the t o t a i f i s h produced i s consumed i n f r e s h form by households, h o t e l s and ea t ing houses and t h e balance i s taken f o r processing. Of t h e processed products, except canned f i s h and shark o i l , o thers a r e exported. The main importing coun t r i e s a r e Japan, U.S.A., United Kingdom and Aust ra l ia f o r frozen prawns and lobs te r s . Beche-de-mer and shark f i n s and f i s h maws a r e exported mainly t o Singapore.

F i s h Consum~tion l e v e l s of households

According t o t h e Socio-Economic Survey o f 1969-70 Percen?:

Income Consum~tion p e r month o f a l l (Rs. p e r p e r ho .~sehold house-

month ) Quant i ty ( l b s ) Value ( R s . ) ho lds

Fresh Dried Fresh Dried F i s h F i s h F i s h F i s h

Under 200 4.08 3.69 4.74 6.28 42.6 200 - 399 9.93 4.81 12.88 8.54 37.7 L O O - 599 14 .43 5.06 22.06 9.60 12 .0 600 - 799 15.24 4.E,6 25.93 9.12 4 .2 800 - 999 16.70 4.98 31.86 9.68 1 . 2

1000 G over 21.44 3.56 45. i 4 6.86 2.0 A l l households 8.55 4.34 12.03 7 . 7 1 100.0

Note: T o t a l no. o f households 2,096,737 Average no. o f persons i n a household - 5.8

Per C a ~ i t a Annual Consum~tion

Local supply a s p e r c e n t Year Quant it j~ o f t o t 6 1 c o n s u m p t i o ~ -

Note: Share o f l o c a l supply has i n c r e a s e d dur ing t h e l a s t few y e a r s because o f heavy r e d u c t i o n i n impor ts o f d r i e d f i s h .

Marketing

Apart from s a l e s f o r l o c a l consumption and q u a n t i t i e s t aken f o r d r i e d f i s h product ion i n producing a r e a s , a l m g e p ropor t ion o f t h e l and ings is t r a n s p o r t e d t o t h e C e n t r a l F i s h Market ir Colombo and o t h e r i n l a n d a r e a s by t r a i n and l o r r i e s . It i s es t ima ted t h a t about 50% of t h e l and ings i s brought t o t h e C e n t r a l Market where it i s s o l d wholesale and r e t a i l t o l o c a l consumers and t r a d e r s . There a r e two tjrpes o f d e a l e r s i n t h i s market , namely:

(1) P r i v a t e Commission Agents who o b t a i n r h e i r s c p p l i e s d i r e c t from fishermen and f i s h t r a d e r s i n producing a r e a s . These a g e n t s s e l l t h e i r s u p p l i e s on commission b a s i s .

( 2 ) Ceylon 'F i she r i e s Corporation (state-owned) o b t a i n s Its s u p p l i e s through d i r e c t purchases i n producing a r e a s and through consignments from fishermen. A t p r e s e n t t h e Ceylon F i s h e r i e s Corporation hand les about 3-5% of t h e t o t a l supply i n t h e wholesa le market .