The Hon. Stephni Fernando

¶ 01 Hon. Presiding Member, for decades we focused only on catching fish, not protecting them. The Maldives is a good example: they have created great wealth by prioritizing fish conservation.

¶ 02 Sri Lanka is surrounded by the sea; all our rivers flow into it, making our waters largely self-sustaining and ideal for fish breeding. Yet we have not protected these waters. Banned nets and destructive methods have degraded the sea. There was no examination of this, nor awareness among fishing communities about how to protect the resource. Thus, focus remained on catching, not sustaining or sharing with future generations. As a National People’s Power government, we will educate fisherfolk on resource protection, sustainable harvesting, and exporting at higher value.

¶ 03 Foreign vessels poaching in our waters were prohibited by a law in 1979. In the new amendments we bring, we will retain and enforce that provision. We currently import large quantities of canned fish, but we can produce it locally. Twenty-one factories have been established to produce canned fish domestically, which will support fisheries development.

¶ 04 We know our fisherfolk are very poor. A key reason is that we never guided them on what and how to do; they acted ad hoc. This sector needs skilled people and organized development.

¶ 05 Our coral reefs around the island are beautiful, but about 50% have been destroyed due to plastics, polythene, and debris entangled in nets. Coral is a vital resource that also protects our coasts. We have launched a program to protect it, including the Clean Sri Lanka initiative to safeguard the seas.

¶ 06 A former Member said a 40 kg bag of salt costs Rs. 90,000, but a 50 kg bag now costs about Rs. 4,500. Therefore, we ask people not to be misled by the Opposition’s falsehoods. We will develop the country through the fisheries sector.

¶ 07 Thank you for the time, Hon. Presiding Member.