New regulations for foreign fishing vessels

The Minister of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources Felix Perera has gazetted new regulations allowing foreign fishing vessels to berth at the ports and anchorages of the country and unload their catch, official sources said yesterday (2).
A special gazette notification 1555/13 of June 26 has promulgated the new regulations, the sources said.

Under the previous regulations foreign vessels fishing outside the territorial waters had to have Board of Investment approval and a licence from the Fisheries Department for the purpose to unload their haul in Sri Lanka. But as some persons were engaged in irregular practices the Fisheries Corporation was deprived of obtaining fish stocks from the foreign vessels. This affected the Corporation’s efforts to keep prices steady.

The middlemen engaged in buying fish were directly responsible for this state of affairs, the sources said.

Under the new regulations all foreign fishing vessels which discharge their stocks of fish at any fishery harbour, anchorage or commercial port have to obtain a permit and sell 25 per cent of their catch to the Fisheries Corporation. However, they are prohibited from catching fish within the territorial waters of Sri Lanka official sources said.