Sri Lanka to ban invasive fish species to protect freshwater ecosystems

Sri Lanka will ban harmful fish like Piranha and Snakehead to protect freshwater life. People have 3 months to get permits or remove them. The government also held a fishing event to raise awareness and promote eco-tourism around local reservoirs

Colombo: The Sri Lankan government on Monday said it will soon ban the rearing of invasive fish varieties in a bid to protect fragile freshwater ecosystems.

The regulations, to be gazetted shortly, will prohibit the possession, transportation, breeding and sale of invasive fish varieties such as Piranha, Knife Fish, Alligator Gar and Redline/Giant Snakehead, the Fisheries Ministry said.

---

A three-month grace period will be provided, during which individuals keeping them in homes or private aquariums can apply for permits from the National Aquatic Resources Research and Development Agency.

“We are trying to create public awareness about the dangers posed to ecosystems when ornamental fish are released into reservoirs. They breed rapidly and destroy local fishing resources, harming the livelihoods of fisher communities,” Kolitha Kamal Jinadasa, Secretary to the Fisheries Ministry, told reporters.

He said the Snakehead variety had multiplied significantly and proved difficult to capture as their sharp teeth cut through fishing nets. As part of the awareness campaign, an angling tournament was held on Saturday at the Daduru Oya reservoir in the northwestern region, with over 1,000 participants, including two from South India.

“This (the Angling tournament) was not just a conservation exercise but also an effort to promote sport fishing as part of the tourism industry,” Jinadasa said, adding that 22 Snakeheads weighing between two and four kg were caught during the competition.