Alarmbellsringforpopularreeffish
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
Alarm bells ring for popular reef fish By Malaka Rodrigo Meanwhile, news emerged this week that Sri Lanka will need to the Fisheries Minister protect its overexploited Mahinda Amaraweera coral reef Fish which are wants to ban the fish rapidly becoming rarer, ing of parrotfish. conservationists believe. When contacted, the Gal malu, or rock Fish, minister also said that are generally popular in the Fishing of parrot- the country and these Fish no smaller than include varieties of group 500 grams will not be er and parrot fish (gira- 8 allowed. But, the wa). Sunday Times found The National Aquatic A beautiful parrotfish photographed in out from the DG of Resources Research and Colombo.Pic by Dharshana Jayawardena Fisheries that there are Development Agency no immediate plans to (NARA) initiated a study ‘ran thambuva’ locally Tomato ban the Fishing of par- in January to asses status of grouper inhabits holes in the reef rotFish and that such a move ‘edible reef Fish’ commonly with cleaner shrimp and helps would be based on the study on known as ‘gal malu’. The maintain the hiding places by reef Fish. study will take about a year, fanning out sand. Scarlet shrimp The parrotFish inhabits coral the Sunday Times learns. and painted shrimp are high reefs and feed on algae growing “The size of Fish caught is value items in the ornamental on the reef. There are about 10 smaller on average. Fish trade and without the group- different species of parrotFish Fishermen now must use ers, the shrimp populations in Sri Lanka. Thankfully, local more Fishing gear to catch a would die out. ly there is not much demand similar volume of fish they Many other reef Fish are for it as a food Fish. caught a decade ago. This threatened by overfishing and Unfortunately though, this v r alone indicates the depletion high consumption locally and beautiful Fish is in high of edible ‘gal malu’ popula- overseas. The SundayTimes demand among Chinese. There tions,” points out Dr Sisira reported last week that the Sub- are suspicions and fears that <§> Haputantri - the head of Aqua Club has appealed to the the appearance of parrotfish in Marine Biology Division of Minister of Fisheries to protect local supermarkets is to cater NARA. 15 large coral fish. Most of to demand from increasing (f|) Humphead Wrasse Cheilinus undulatus Endangered The killing of a human- them are groupers and listed numbers of Chinese living and Tomato grouper Cephalopholis sonnerati Least Concern sized humphead wrasse (chei- under threatened categories in visiting Sri Lanka. @ Whitespotted grouper Epinephelus caeruleopunctatus Least Concern linus undulates) in the International Union for Arjan Rajasuriya Coordinator, @ Blue and yellow grouper Epinephelus flavocaeruleus Least Concern Unawatuna by spearFishing Conservation of Nature Red Coastal & Marine Programme Brown-marbled grouper Epinephelus fuscoguttatus Near Threatened two weeks ago helped intensi- List with the humphead wrasse IUCN Sri Lanka emphasises that Fish stocks of Sri Lanka need to @ Giant grouper Epinephelus lanceolatus Vulnerable ty demands for a ban on spear- being listed as ‘endangered’. be monitored regularly, especial (0) Malabar grouper Epinephelus malabaricus Near Threatened Fishing. However, the DG of the ly to check whether demand has @ Camouflage grouper Epinephelus polyphekadion Near Threatened The Director General of the Fisheries Department is not Department of Fisheries & convinced of the threat facing grown in recent years for species @ Wavy-lined grouper Epinephelus undulosus Data Deficient Aquatic Resources, M C L these fish and insists on a study that had not been sought-after Saddle grouper Plectropomus laevis Vulnerable Fernando, said a proposal to to assess the situation, previously (§}) Leopard coral grouper Near Threatened Plectropomus leopardus ban spearfishing is now being But marine biologists and He also notes that reef Fish @ Roving coralgrouper Plectropomus pessulifems Near Threatened reviewed by the government’s divers that the Sunday Times are threatened due to pollution, ® Yellow-edged lyretail Variola loutl Least Concern law drafters. contacted say their encounters invasive alien species, climate Lyretail grouper Variola albimaginata Least Concern Action has been also taken to with large reef Fish are becom- change, and illegal Fishing ® Two-striped sweetlips Plectorhinchus albovittatus Not Evaluated ban the Fishing of tomato group- ing rarer, which itself is an methods such as dynamiting. Conservation is necessary Source lor Images: 'Field guide to reef Fish ol Sri Lanka: er (cephalopholis sonnerati) - a indication of their vulnerabili* Arjan Rajasuriya and Shantha Jayaweom_________ ST Graphics: Nalln Balasuriya beautiful coral Fish known as ty before its too late, he said..