DFM Sri Lanka literature review - The fisheries sector in Sri Lanka

Endowed with a coastal belt of 1700 km, 517,000 km² of Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ), and 260,000 ha worth of freshwater bodies, the fisheries sector in Sri Lanka consists of two main sub-sectors: marine and inland fisheries. The marine fisheries sub-sector is again divided into coastal (near-shore) and deep-sea (off-shore) fisheries. The major share of fisheries production comes from the marine sector, while inland fisheries remain marginal, accounting for 0.1% of the GDP and 15.4% of the country's total fish production. In contrast, the marine fisheries sector: (i) accounts for 1.3% of the national GDP, (ii) produces 439,370 MT in fresh fish and 63,807 MT as fully or partially processed fish, (iii) provides 582,000 employment opportunities directly and indirectly, (iv) supplies 60% of the animal protein requirement of the population, and (v) earns 295 million USD foreign exchange through exports (27,998 MT). The marine sector's contribution to the national economy in the period 2014-2018 is shown in Table 1.

Table 1: Marine fisheries-related statistics in Sri Lanka (2014-2018)

Factor	Units	2014	2015	2016	2017	2018
Annual fish production	Mt.	459,300	452,890	456,990	449,440	439,370
Total marine fishing fleet	Numbers	53,988	50,338	50,669	46,890	50,591
Marine fishing households	Numbers	190,780	190,960	188,690	183,650	181,880
Marine fishers (men and women)	Number	221,350	221,560	218,830	220,870	218,130
Fisher organizations	Number	925	927	802	808	977
Members in fisher organizations	Number	85,323	86,410	85,208	86,347	83,518
Fish processing plants	Number	121	104	101	122	-
Packing centres	Number	-	-	-	16	-
Annual import expenditure	Rs. Mn.	18,860	30,729	35,172	33,969	32,726
Annual export earnings	Rs. Mn.	34,797	24,716	26,802	39,230	47,948

(Source: MFARD 2019)

The fisheries sector provides animal protein in various forms such as fresh fish, dried fish, maldive (smoked) fish, and jaadi (fermented fish). The sector is constituted of backward and forward linkages with enormous value additions at different nodes of multiple value chains, offering incomes for both men and women who are engaged as actors in these chains. Dried fish, as an important fisheries-based commodity produced and consumed for centuries, has distinct value chains in relation to fresh fish. Dried fish production, similarly to fresh fish production, is significant for the Sri Lankan economy as a source of animal protein, livelihoods and foreign exchange. It also helps to reduce post-harvest losses of fresh fish and constitutes value addition to fresh fish [1]. The next section outlines the contours of the history of the dried fish industry in Sri Lanka.