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Landings of tuna and fish varieties double

by Elmo Leonard

The quantity of tuna landed by foreign vessels in Sri Lanka's fisheries harbours is on the ascent and has more than doubled since mid-October 2005, with the reduction of "service charges" on landings of tuna and bill fish varieties.

This service charge now stands at Rs 15 per kilo (Rs 102 to a US dollar) that was earlier Rs 20 per kilo. The Ministry of Fisheries had also assured Sri Lankan exporters of a further reduction or removal of this service charge, should foreign fish landings and subsequent exports appreciate. The Sea Food Exporters' Association of Sri Lanka is currently lobbying the government for complete removal of this landing charge, president, Roshan Fernando said.

With this reduction in October last year, 140 foreign vessels obtained landing permits issued by the Ministry of Fisheries for 2005, compared to 120 during 2004, fishery statistician and head - statistics unit, Ministry of Fisheries, JADB Jayasooriya said.

Some of these foreign fishing companies are well-known in the trade. The fish is caught on the tuna international migratory routes, adjacent to the EEZs of Madagascar, the Maldives, Sri Lanka and in the Arabian Sea. The fish is processed in the fisheries harbours and air freighted, Fernando said.

Backed by the reduction on landing charges and notwithstanding the Asian tsunami, Sri Lanka's exports of fish and fisheries products for 2005 reached $106 million with a quantity of 15,985 tonnes, according to fisheries ministry statistics, just out. In 2004 exports totalled $94 million with 13,681 tonnes foreign sales, according to fisheries ministry statistics.

In 2005, Sri Lanka's exports of tuna made up 10,960 tonnes valued at $63 million mainly to Japan's Sashimi market, France, the Netherlands, UK, Namibia and USA. In 2004, the quantity was 8,017 tonnes valued at $44 million.

Exports of crabs in 2005 made up 1012 tonnes bringing in $3.6 million, mainly to Hong Kong, India, Maldives and USA. Berch de Mer or sea cucumber exports in 2005 were 258 tonnes valued at $3.5 million, mainly to Taiwan, Hong Kong, Malaysia and Singapore.

There was a drop in shark fin exports in 2005, with 74 tonnes valued at $1.7 million, compared to 110 tonnes in 2004 which brought in $3.4 million.

This drop is due to the loss of multiday fishing craft due to the Asian tsunami. Shark fins are purchased mainly by Hong Kong, Japan, Malaysia, and Singapore.

Lobster exports made up 183 tonnes in 2005 bringing in $2.7 million in 2004. Lobsters are chilled in saw dust, bringing the lobster into hibernation. The lobsters get a breather in tanks in Singapore and are again airfreighted, to Japan, South Korea, Hong Kong and Thailand. The Maldives and UAE also buy live lobsters from Sri Lanka.

Molasses exports in 2005 made up 300 tonnes netting $1 million, to the Maldives and Singapore.

Fish maws exports last year made up one tonne at $0.3 million and was exported to Hong Kong, Malaysia and Singapore.

A total of 1,800 tonnes of shrimp, valued at $17.7 million was exported to Japan, the Maldives, France, Ireland, the Netherlands, UK, USA, Hong Kong, South Korea and Thailand, but 30 percent of it was caught wild off the north, east and western coasts of Sri Lanka, the trade said.

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Copyright 2001 The Associated Newspapers of Ceylon Ltd.