An extra 30-40 million tonnes of food fish will be required by 2050 to meet die increasing need for a growing population. In the wake of plateauing of the traditional food fish supplies from marine capture fisheries, the gap in the supplies will have to be met from aquaculture and odier plau­ sible strategies, including increased inland fish production. The existing fisheries in tropical reservoirs and lakes tradition­ ally tend to target only table-sized fish, often exotics and/or translocated species, using a single type of gear, mostly gill nets. In such fisheries, many small indigenous species (SIS) are unexploited due to the prohibition of the use of suitable fishing gear. The status of fisheries for small, indigenous species of four Sri Lankan reservoirs was investigated with a view to identifying regulatory con­ straints to the establishment of STS fisheries without adversely impacting existing commercial fisheries. It is estimated that a potential of 7.5 t per fisher per annum of SIS through the introduction of a new fishery is obtainable. This study is significant as STS are recog­ nized as important sources of essential macro- and micronutrients which can play a crucial role in combating malnutrition and micronutrient deficiencies in rural popula­ tions of many South and Southeast Asian countries.