Seafood exporters, Ministry sign MOU for new Fishery Improvement Project

A Memorandum of Understanding was signed yesterday between the Minister of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources and the Seafood Exporters Association of Sri Lanka, committing to work together to improve the biological and ecological status of Sri Lanka’s longline tuna and billfish fisheries and to develop and implement national and international fishery specific management measures that will maintain the biological and ecological status of each fishery at a level consistent with a ‘sustainably managed fishery.’ 

On 26 April, Seafood Exporters’ Association of Sri Lanka (SEASL)President Prabhash Subasinghe officially announced the launch of a new Fishery Improvement Project (FIP) for Sri Lankan tuna and billfish at the world’s largest seafood trade fair, the Seafood Expo Global in Brussels, Belgium. 

The SEASL called upon importers and retailers in Europe and North America to join hands with the Seafood Exporters’ Association of Sri Lanka, the Ministry of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (MFAR), Sri Lanka Export Development Board and tuna longline boat owners to improve Sri Lanka’s tuna and billfish fisheries.

The FIP will initiate a series of consultations and workshops with members of the SEASL; agencies, departments and authorities under the MFAR; the SLEDB as well as the national and local associations of tuna longline boat owners.