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| Sunday, 19 December 2004 |
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New lease of life for prawn farms by Chanuka Mannapperuma The prawn farming industry which was once a lucrative industry in the country will be given a new lease of life under the Fisheries and Aquatic Resources Ministry's plans to improve this vital sector. The Ministry plans to take swift measures by using knowledge of experts to identify the environmental problems faced by the prawn farming industry and provide speedy solutions to resolve them. The Ministry's intervention comes at a time when there is a drastic reduction in the production of prawns which was mainly based in the Puttlam district. According to reports, the annual prawn production which stood at 12,000 metric tonnes in 1990's has now come down to almost 2000 mt. "This has created many problems - economically and socially as it has affected the livelihood of many people," a ministry official told the Sunday Observer. He said this pathetic situation was mainly due to the unauthorised farms which have mushroomed in the Puttalama district over the past years. "The experts have stressed that only 2000 hectares in the Puttlama district could be utilised for the setting up of a prawn farms. Despite that, prawn farms have invaded over 8000 hectares in the district causing great damage to the environment." he added. He said the "white spot " disease was the major natural issue which has affected the prawn farming industry. He said that "the other main problem faced by the industry is the water pollution caused by prawn farms." Besides that unlimited prawn farming is posing a threat to sales as well. The lack of a well- planned water distribution system has also affected this situation and it leads to spreading of diseases and environmental degradation. "Therefore, those engaged in the industry should come forward to safeguard the industry and remove those unauthorised as well as unlimited prawn farms." official added. The official said that minister of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources Chandrasena Wijesinghe recently visited the prawn farms in the Puttalama district to obtain first hand information about the problems faced by the industry. He pledged to extend required assistance from the government to revive the industry. " Steps will be taken firstly to identify the environmental problems which have affected the industry and swift measures will be implemented to resolve them ensuring sustainability of the industry." |
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