The Department of Fisheries has decided to conduct a census of fishing vessels from today (August 4).
According to the Ministry of Fisheries, the first phase of the census will commence at the Panadura fishing harbour and will be carried out across Sri Lanka until 20th August.
This is the first nationwide census of fishing vessels to be conducted in nearly a decade.
The primary objective is to establish an updated database covering approximately 50,000 fishing vessels currently operating along the country’s coastal areas.
During the census, authorities aim to identify active fishing vessels, remove non-operational and unusable vessels from the coastline to support the “Clean Sri Lanka” initiative, promote the tourism industry, and streamline the licensing process for fishing operations.
Officials from the Department of Fisheries will visit each fishing port, inspect the vessels, and affix a special sticker as part of the census process.
The data collected will be used from next year onward to issue fishing operation licences and provide other relevant services.
The Fisheries Department states that fishing vessels not participating in the census will not be eligible for licence renewals, thereby reinforcing the goal of creating an accurate and up-to-date national database of fishing vessels. (Islandnews)
