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A Profile of the Offshore Fishing Fleet of Sri Lanka

By: Dayaratne P.
Contributor(s): Joseph, Leslie | Maldeniya, Rekha.
Series: Sri Lanka Fisheries Sector Development Project. Publisher: Colombo, Sri Lanka Fisheries Sector Development Project, 1995Description: 1-12p.Summary: Offshore fisheries conducted by small boats and targeting large pelagic species such as tuna, shark and billfish is the fastest growing sector in Sri Lanka’s marine fishing industry. The limited offshore fishing activities by Sri Lanka in the past has been dominated by bottom trawling. Prior to 1980’s, almost all of the annual offshore catch, which did not exceed 5000 MT, came mainly from the small fleet of trawlers operating on the Wadge Bank. This fishery ceased in late 1970’s,as a result of the demarcation of EEZ boundaries with India in 1976. Offshore fisheries development in Sri Lanka has had a long gestation period. Beginning mid - 1960’s, several attempts have been made to develop an offshore fishing fleet to exploit the large pelagic resources in Sri Lanka. The first step was the operation by the Ceylon Fisheries Corporation (CFC) of a fleet of forty 11 - ton boats (38 ft. LOA) made of steel in the mid ‘60s. It failed completely, and all the boats sank or corroded along the beaches • pretty quickly. Although these boats did not venture beyond the fringes of the offshore and conducted only single day fishing trips, they are considered to have played a catalytic role in extending the range of operations and production potential of the 3 1/2 ton (28 ft LOA) day boats in the coastal fishery. The CFC also entered the oceanic tuna longline fishery in mid-sixties with two oceanic tuna longliners which did well in the early stages but folded up within a decade due to poor management and other problems. A smaller and an unsuccessful attempt was made in the mid 1970s to convert the 3 1/2 tonners to multi-day trip boats by insulating the fish hold and improving protection for the crew. Drawings and specifications were given to boatyards by the Department of Fisheries and the state banks were persuaded to grant loans for insulated fish holds. The -next major effort was the introduction of a fleet of thirty boats (38 LOA) under an ADB loan in the late 1970s. These boats were made of FRP and equipped with insulated fish hold, crew accommodation, hydraulic net hauler and radio communication. They were thus well suited to undertake longer fishing trips both in terms of time and space. But it did not happen. A few of them are still operating as shrimp trawlers in the Chilaw-Kalpitiya area. The others were abandoned and the scheme ended in failure. A more significant phase of fleet development started in the early ‘80s with the introduction of the “Abu Dhabi” boats built under the North West Coast Fisheries Development Project. They were 34 feet long but very bulky and the largest boats built so far. They were made of FRP, had a 60 hp engine, a hydraulic net hauler and, an insulated fish hold and crew 2 accommodation. The entire project, which also included a trawler version, was financed by a loan from the Abu Dhabi Fund of the United Arab Emirates. The boats came to be known as the “Abu Dhabi” boats. Because of its size, the boat became much more expensive than any of the earlier designs. During the early introduction phase, this scheme too seemed headed for failure. But it all changed after a few successful fishing trips of longer duration. Thus the fleet of eighty “Abu Dhabi” boats have led the way in multi-day fishing operations, but others, including the 3 1/2 tonners, soon followed. Despite the rapid development witnessed in recent years, most of the offshore boats are considered to lack basic equipment and facilities, and are in general too small and rudimentary to harvest a -substantial amount of the offshore resource. However, in more recent years, bigger and bigger boats with adequate navigational, communication and crew facilities are entering the fishery. This study was therefore undertaken to obtain information on the offshore fleet and also to assess the emerging trends in the offshore fishing fleet development in the country.
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Offshore fisheries conducted by small boats and targeting large pelagic species such as tuna,
shark and billfish is the fastest growing sector in Sri Lanka’s marine fishing industry. The
limited offshore fishing activities by Sri Lanka in the past has been dominated by bottom trawling.
Prior to 1980’s, almost all of the annual offshore catch, which did not exceed 5000 MT,
came mainly from the small fleet of trawlers operating on the Wadge Bank. This fishery
ceased in late 1970’s,as a result of the demarcation of EEZ boundaries with India in 1976.
Offshore fisheries development in Sri Lanka has had a long gestation period. Beginning mid
- 1960’s, several attempts have been made to develop an offshore fishing fleet to exploit the
large pelagic resources in Sri Lanka. The first step was the operation by the Ceylon Fisheries
Corporation (CFC) of a fleet of forty 11 - ton boats (38 ft. LOA) made of steel in the mid
‘60s. It failed completely, and all the boats sank or corroded along the beaches • pretty
quickly. Although these boats did not venture beyond the fringes of the offshore and conducted only
single day fishing trips, they are considered to have played a catalytic role in extending the range of
operations and production potential of the 3 1/2 ton (28 ft LOA) day boats in the coastal fishery. The
CFC also entered the oceanic tuna longline fishery in mid-sixties with two oceanic tuna longliners
which did well in the early stages but folded up within a decade due to poor management and other
problems. A smaller and an unsuccessful attempt was made in the mid 1970s to convert the
3 1/2 tonners to multi-day trip boats by insulating the fish hold and improving protection for
the crew. Drawings and specifications were given to boatyards by the Department of Fisheries and
the state banks were persuaded to grant loans for insulated fish holds.
The -next major effort was the introduction of a fleet of thirty boats (38 LOA) under an
ADB loan in the late 1970s. These boats were made of FRP and equipped with insulated
fish hold, crew accommodation, hydraulic net hauler and radio communication. They were
thus well suited to undertake longer fishing trips both in terms of time and space. But it did
not happen. A few of them are still operating as shrimp trawlers in the Chilaw-Kalpitiya
area. The others were abandoned and the scheme ended in failure.
A more significant phase of fleet development started in the early ‘80s with the introduction
of the “Abu Dhabi” boats built under the North West Coast Fisheries Development Project. They
were 34 feet long but very bulky and the largest boats built so far. They were made of FRP,
had a 60 hp engine, a hydraulic net hauler and, an insulated fish hold and crew
2 accommodation. The entire project, which also included a trawler version, was financed by a
loan from the Abu Dhabi Fund of the United Arab Emirates. The boats came to be known as the
“Abu Dhabi” boats. Because of its size, the boat became much more expensive than any of
the earlier designs. During the early introduction phase, this scheme too seemed headed for
failure. But it all changed after a few successful fishing trips of longer duration.
Thus the fleet of eighty “Abu Dhabi” boats have led the way in multi-day fishing operations,
but others, including the 3 1/2 tonners, soon followed. Despite the rapid development
witnessed in recent years, most of the offshore boats are considered to lack basic equipment
and facilities, and are in general too small and rudimentary to harvest a -substantial amount
of the offshore resource. However, in more recent years, bigger and bigger boats with adequate
navigational, communication and crew facilities are entering the fishery. This study was therefore
undertaken to obtain information on the offshore fleet and also to assess the emerging trends
in the offshore fishing fleet development in the country.

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