TY  - BOOK
AU  - Maldeniya, Rekha
TI  - The Role of Fisheries Sector in the Coastal Fishing Communities of Sri Lanka
PY  - 2003///,
CY  - Phillipine
PB  - World Fish Centre
N1  - Sri Lanka is an island country with a land area of 65 610 km2. With the declaration of the exclusive economic zone (EEZ) in 1976, the country gained sovereigrji rights over an ocean area of 536 OOO km2 and FEZ extending from 24 to 200 r.pn. The continental shelf is about 26 COO km2 with an average width of around 22 km, and the coastline is 1 100 km iona.
The total annual fish production of Sri Lanka was 25 C ;0 t in 19.52 and 269 ;>50 t in 1998. Major fish species caught in Sri Lankan waters are skipjack, blood fieri..;yellow fin tuna, mullet, shark, trevally, Spanish mackf.iel, prawns, lobsters. Gross domestic product (GDP) is composed of services, acrio. Iture includ ng forestry and fishery, manufacturing, construction and mining and quarrying. Of these, the agriculture sector contributed 21% with 7.5% coming from the fisheries subsector in 1998. In 1975, fisheries contributed R;420 million to GOP ant; vibstentiaiiy improved to Rs24 823 million (US$382 million at 1 US$ - 64.90 Sri Lanka Rupee; source: oanda.com) in 1998. Export volume from fisheri ?s was 3 2.40 tin’ 985, and 11 4 33 t in 1998; equivalent to an expert value of Rs45ii mil (I IS$7 million) to Rs6 7}2 mil. (US$104 million).
The fisheries sector has provided direct employment opportunities to over 1 15 000 people and indirect benefits to 100 000 people in related occupations such'as fish processing, boat building and other equipment manufacUre and trade and public sector organizations. A socioeconomic survey conducted in 1996 noted a| fisher population of 83 776 with 81.7% having fishing as their sole source of income, 12.5% as their main source and 4.3% as their second source.
Fish is the main and.preferred source of animal protein in Sri Lanka. Fish consump­ tion accounts for 5% of the total food consumption and per capita fish consump­ tion was 12.77 kg in 1998..However fish c.v.ist<'!utes a substantial share of expendi­ ture on food because of if: high domestic price
ER  -