Blue Sea or Red Sea: Sport fishing by the rules

By Philip Weinman 

Sport fishing is not just about the number or the size of the fish you catch but also the manner in which you do so. Commercial fishermen fish for numbers in order to make a living and feed their families. Recreational anglers fish for enjoyment and that should mean playing by the rules. Not jungle rules. Hence Blue Sea or Red Sea – are there traffic lights to guide sports fishermen and women as rules are also a part of any game!

Sport fishing tells us many stories but part of this article is on rules that may be followed if you need to practice proper sport fishing in Sri Lanka and the Ceylon Sport Fishing Club established in 2013 and being the only active sport fishing entity in Sri Lanka, is an affiliated Fishing Club to the International Game Fish Association and has been working closely with the IGFA to set up ethical practices of fishing and already has formulated Fishing Rules for Sri Lanka which can be used by Anglers when fishing or making world record application for different types of fish caught in Sri Lanka.

The International Game Fish Association which is the world governing body for sport fishing in the world and is represented by a representative in each country worldwide, including Sri Lanka is the founding father of sport fishing rules and this is a way to ensure we are all on a level playing field. Over the years the rules have been tweaked as the gear has changed – there isn’t much demand for linen lines today – but overall, things have remained pretty much the same. There are standardised lengths for equipment such as rods and gaffs, as well as leaders and all the various rigs we use to fool our quarry into biting a hook. 

The purpose of IGFA, as set forth in the early by laws is: To encourage the study of game fishes for the sake of whatever pleasure, information, or benefit it may provide; to keep the sport of game fishing ethical and to make its rules acceptable to the majority of anglers; to encourage this sport both as recreation and as a potential source of scientific data; to place such data at the disposal of as many human beings as possible and to keep an attested and up-to-date chart of world record catches.

But lately it seems that there has been significant departure from these Angling Rules to the point where the average angler isn’t even aware of what they are, or what they stand for. The common response is “I am fishing or going to catch the big one’. While that might be true let’s think about it and what could be done to rectify shortcomings or proper awareness to sport fishermen and women on what is right and wrong so that while fishing we are also conscious of conservation and not endangering species that need to be preserved.

Ceylon Sport Fishing Club has been working alongside the local IGFA representative in establishing sport fishing rules for Sri Lanka and this has now been endorsed by the International Game Fish Association (IGFA) and has been passed on not only to its membership but to anglers who desire to fish to this guideline which is beneficial even when submitting records both locally and internationally.

The Club endorses that protecting species of vulnerable or protected fish are important in the marine arena as well as promoting catch and release of fish wherever possible and will help and assist any sport fishermen or women to understand what they could catch and what needs to be conserved. For this purpose the Club follows guidelines from the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN).

The IUCN is a membership Union uniquely composed of both government and civil society organisations. It provides public, private and non-governmental organisations with the knowledge and tools that enable human progress, economic development and nature conservation to take place together.

Of course any species of fish can be submitted for records as long as no fisheries regulations are violated and they fall in line with the IUCN list of endangered or protected. If regulations in your country prohibit species of fish been caught it’s always advisable to refer the species that can be and cannot be caught and Ceylon Sport Fishing Club is able to assist sport fishermen on proper guidelines which includes rules and fishing areas in Sri Lanka where endangered species of fish could come in contact with your lines. Of course it is difficult to predict what catch you would sometimes get but if this is done it is recommended to release the fish while in the water and not having the fish taken out of the water.

It is however the interest of Ceylon Sport Fishing Club to safeguard the interest of the sport fishing community in Sri Lanka on proper ‘recreational fishing methods’ which include staying by the rules and keeping the ‘Blue Sea’ rather than a ‘Red Sea’.

Ceylon Sport Fishing Club also conducts annual angling events and will continue to promote recreational fishing in and around Sri Lanka and can be contacted on email:

Srilankasportfishing@gmail and will be pleased to answer any questions or teach you to fish.

(The writer is an International Game Fish Association Representative, Sri Lanka)