Fisheries Sector Contribution for Sustainable Food System: Past, Present, and Future

Abstract

At global scale, the capture fisheries and aquaculture provide 3 billion people with almost 20% of their average per capita intake of animal protein, and a further 1.3 billion people with about 15% of their per capita intake. This share can exceed 50% in some countries. Fish are extremely important and fish farming has developed rapidly over the last 30 years: total dietary protein from fish is between 50% and 60% in Sri Lanka. Fish provides a similarly significant proportion of protein in the human diets in most small island nations in the world. The fisheries sector of Sri Lanka consists of three main subsectors, namely, coastal, offshore and deep sea, and inland and aquaculture. These three subsectors employ around 250,000 active fishers and another 100,000 in support services in Sri Lanka. Sri Lankan fisheries are managed by two core legislative instruments, namely, Fisheries and Aquatic Resources Act No. 2 of 1996 and Fisheries Act No. 59 of 1979, along with several regulations to assist in the implementation of these acts. The industry has seen a change of fortune in the recent past with a boost with the reinstatement of GSP Plus from the USA and lifting of export banning of fish to European Union (EU) in the recent past. Sri Lankan tuna, shrimps, and crabs have quality of unique taste and texture. Meanwhile, the Sri Lankan government agencies are also seeking to position the country’s marine and inland fishing industries as major export earning sectors as well main source of economics and food security considering its nutritional impact on nations consuming plant-based diets. Thus, governance needs to ensure that fisheries and aquaculture adapt to the impacts of climate change and improve the resilience of food production systems where one of the solutions is integration. Availability of these natural aquatic resources provides immense opportunities to achieve high economic growth with guaranteed food and nutritional security for its population in near future by blue economic revolution.