Date of Award

1992

Degree Type

Major Paper

Degree Name

Master of Arts in Marine Affairs

Abstract

Fishing has been an important economic activity in Sri Lanka for generations. Firstly, the fisheries sector provides employment to a substantial portion of the population particularly in the coastal area. Secondly, it provides 65 percent of animal protein consumed by the people of Sri Lanka. Thirdly, the fishing industry has proved its capabilities as an earner of foreign exchange through the export of marine product such as prawns, lobsters and other varieties. In 1977 Sri Lanka declared its 200 miles Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) under the new regime for the Law of the Sea. The government of Sri Lanka formulated and implemented programs with foreign financial and technical assistance to exploit the resources withing the EEZ to increase the supplies of proteins to the citizen and to provide better opportunities for income and employment generation and earning valuable foreign exchange for the country. The purpose of this paper are to examine present government policies and efforts; examine the current status of fisheries with the EEZ; and make recommendations for future development with the objective of better utilization of the resources within the EEZ.

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