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| Sunday, 26 June 2005 |
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Business |  |
| News Business Features Editorial
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Ring net
fishing nets more economic benefits
by Elmo Leonard The economics of ring net and drift gillnet fisheries for small tuna varieties in the southern coast of Sri Lanka has revealed that ring net fishing, a recent introduction to Sri Lanka yields higher economic benefits. In the study, small tuna varieties such as frigate tuna ((Auxis thazard) bullet tuna (Auxis rochel) and kakakawa (Euthynnus affinis) are identified as important constituent species in the landings of coastal waters of Sri Lanka. Drift gillnet, ring net and troll line are the gear types used in this fishery. Ring net is mainly confined to southern coastal waters, according to the study done by H. D. Wimalasena of NARA's socio-economic and market research division and S. P. Vidanage of IUCN. With the increase in the number of ring net fishing units, conflict between ring net fishers and other fisheries has developed. Fifty craft owners from each fishery landing site were selected. Landing sites at Ambalangoda, Dodanduwa, Weligama, Mirissa, Dondra, Kudawella and Mawella were selected to study ring net fishery and Haraspola, Peraliya, Dodanduwa, Gandara, Kottegoda, and Hanwella were selected for drift gillnet fishery. Data collected was carried out through a questionnaire. Mean catch per fishing trip for ring net and drift gillnet was 141.4 kg and 46.5 kg. The price of ring netted fish was below the price of drift gillnetted fish throughout the period of the survey. Net return to owners of ring nets was Rs. 993 while for drift gillnet owners it was Rs. 557 per craft per trip. The net profit from fishing was Rs. 2,315 for ring nets and Rs. 955 for drift gillnets. In every aspect the standard of living for ring net operators was higher than drift gillnet operators. The study presented at the annual sessions of SLAFAR Sri Lanka Association for Fisheries and Aquatic Resources says that as ring net fishing is lucrative, it need not be banned. However, to facilitate an equitable distribution of economic gains among fishermen in the south, ring net users should be charged a licence fee. The fishery should also be closely monitored so that there is no conflict among the different net users. Resource rent from fishing from ring net was 2.4 times more than drift gillnet fishery and ring net crews have more control over the small tuna resources. |
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