FAO assists ensuring small-scale fishers’ safety through RFLP

By Harsha Udayakantha Peiris

Over 150 small-scale fishers in Sri Lanka’s Puttalam district are being benefited from safety equipment distributed by the Regional Fisheries Livelihoods Programme for South and Southeast Asia, (RFLP), an initiative funded by the Kingdom of Spain and implemented by the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) of the United Nations.

IMG 2692: Rangana Herath - Divisional Secretary, Kalpitiya (left) distributing safety equipment to the fishers. Capt.S.Jayasinghe - Consultant, Safety at Sea of the RFLP is also present  (Pictures - courtesy of FAO)

The equipment which included GPS systems, life rings, first aid kits, life jackets and VHF radios were handed over to fishers at a recently held at the Coastal Environmental Centre in Kandakuliya, Puttalam District.

Jose Parajua, Regional Programme Manager of RFLP attending the event stated that as small-scale fishers in Sri Lanka face a considerable risk on a daily basis, the equipment distributed would save lives, reducing the vulnerability of fishers and their families.   

In addition to providing safety equipment, RFLP has also delivered a comprehensive series of training sessions for over 800 small-scale fishers on topics including first aid, survival at sea, safe diving, fire fighting and out-board engine repair. “By providing training to those who can then train others, RFLP has made a significant contribution to the safety of fishers in Sri Lanka,” Parajua further said.

RFLP is currently operational in the fisheries districts of Negombo, Chilaw and Puttalam and is implemented by the FAO in collaboration with the Ministry of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources Development.

In an exclusive interview on the RFLP initiative of distributing safety equipment to fishers, Dr.Champa Amarasiri, National Project Manager of the RFLP said that although the safety equipment do not have a direct impact on the fish production, they do have a significant impact on the safety of the small scale fishers which in return has a long term impact on the overall living standards and their livelihoods. “As fishing is the second most risky profession in the world, safety equipment help ensure sustainability and minimise vulnerability of the livelihood. The distribution of the safety equipment also establishes a culture of safety at sea where such a concept is given less practice in our country,” she said.   

As an expansion or increase of coastal fisheries cannot be expected for the fisheries have already been exploited nearly to the maximum level at present, RFLP measures have also placed their main focus to manage the fisheries to ensure the long term sustainability of the fish production in Sri Lanka.  

RFLP is currently working under 5 areas namely, co-management mechanisms for sustainable utilisation of fishery resources, improved safety and reduced vulnerability for fisher communities, improved quality of fishery products and market chains, diversified income opportunities for fisher families and facilitated access to microfinance services for fishers, processors and vendors.

RFLP also strives to better manage the fishery resources and thereby minimise over exploitation of the resources. It also pays attention towards the post harvest activities where the community is given training/resources to produce quality fish/fish products and assist them in linking up with existing market chains. The initiation, in a wider perspective,   is expected to give a better price to the producer to provide quality products to the market while encouraging to reduce the waste of fish catch. Through its alternative livelihoods component, RFLP is trying to release the pressure on the coastal fisheries which have now reached nearly the level of maximum exploitation. Thus channeling fishers to alternative livelihoods will also provide the fishers an extra income and make their livelihoods more sustainable and less vulnerable.   

The Regional Fisheries Livelihood Programme for South and Southeast Asia (RFLP) sets out to strengthen capacity among participating small-scale fishing communities and their supporting institutions in Cambodia, Indonesia, the Philippines, Sri Lanka, Timor-Leste and Viet Nam. Through the measures implemented, the RFLP seeks to improve the livelihoods of fishers and their families while fostering more sustainable fisheries resources management practices.    Representatives of the District Fisheries Office of the Department of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources, FAO and RFLP as well as the Sri Lankan navy and the police also attended the event to distribute safety equipment to the small scale fishers in Puttalam.