Fisheries development and management plan of Chilaw lagoon Department of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources Maligawatte, Colombo 10, Sri Lanka March 2013 REGIONAL FISHERIES LIVELIHOODS PROGRAMME FOR SOUTH AND SOUTHEAST ASIA (RFLP) --------------------------------------------------------- Fisheries development and management plan of Chilaw lagoon (Activity 1.5.2 Prepare Fisheries Development and Management Plan through a Stakeholder Task Force) For the Regional Fisheries Livelihoods Programme for South and Southeast Asia Prepared by Department of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources Maligawatte, Colombo 10, Sri Lanka March 2013 1 DISCLAIMER AND COPYRIGHT This publication has been made with the financial support of the Spanish Agency of International Cooperation for Development (AECID) through an FAO trust-fund project, the Regional Fisheries Livelihoods Programme (RFLP) for South and Southeast Asia - GCP/RAS/237/SPA. 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For copies write to: Steve Needham, RFLP Information Officer FAO Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific 39 Phra Athit Road Bangkok 10200 Thailand Tel: (+66) 2 697 4000 Fax: (+66) 2 697 4445 E-mail: [email protected] Bibliographic reference For bibliographic purposes, please reference this publication as: DFAR (2013b). Fisheries development and management plan of Chilaw lagoon. Regional Fisheries Livelihoods Programme for South and Southeast Asia (GCP/RAS/237/SPA): Field Project Document 2013/LKA/CM/2. 2 Contents Preface .......................................................................................................................................................... 5 1: Fisheries in Chilaw lagoon ......................................................................................................................... 6 1.1 Description of the Fishery Management Area .................................................................................... 6 1. 2 Fish resources and productivity ......................................................................................................... 6 1.3 Fishers involved in Chilaw lagoon fisheries......................................................................................... 8 1.4 Fishing fleet ......................................................................................................................................... 8 1.5 Fishing gear and methods ................................................................................................................... 9 1.6 Fish production ................................................................................................................................. 10 2. Status of the Fishery ............................................................................................................................... 11 2.1 Assessments of relevant fish stocks and dependant species ........................................................... 11 2.2 Socio-economic status of the fishery participants ............................................................................ 11 3 Ecological and environmental status of the Lagoon ................................................................................ 12 3.1 Ecological importance of Chilaw lagoon ........................................................................................... 12 3.2 Environmental issues ........................................................................................................................ 13 3.2.1 Waste disposal ........................................................................................................................... 13 3.2.2 Adverse impacts of shrimp farming ........................................................................................... 13 3.2.3 Destruction of mangrove and sea grass beds ............................................................................ 13 3.2.4 Impact of upstream activities .................................................................................................... 14 3.2.5 Siltation of lagoon bottom ......................................................................................................... 14 4. Co-management and legal provisions ..................................................................................................... 15 4.1 Co-management ............................................................................................................................... 15 4.2 Existing legislation affecting Chilaw lagoon fisheries ....................................................................... 15 4.3 Legal and institutional provisions for co-management of Chilaw lagoon fisheries .......................... 17 5. Management issues ................................................................................................................................ 19 6. Objectives and Performance Indicators .................................................................................................. 21 7. Control Mechanisms (Management measures)...................................................................................... 22 7.1 Access arrangements ........................................................................................................................ 22 7.1.1 Fishing Operations Licenses ....................................................................................................... 22 7.1.2 Registration of fishing crafts ...................................................................................................... 23 3 7.2 Input controls ................................................................................................................................ 23 7.3 Voluntary Code of conduct ........................................................................................................... 24 8. Monitoring of the Fishery (data collection and analysis)........................................................................ 24 9. Compliance (surveillance and enforcement) .......................................................................................... 25 10. Research and investigations ................................................................................................................. 25 11. Fisheries development .......................................................................................................................... 26 11.1 Infrastructure facilities .................................................................................................................... 26 11.2 Lagoon and ecosystem rehabilitation ............................................................................................. 27 12. Consultation and extension with stakeholders .................................................................................... 27 13. Plan monitoring and review .................................................................................................................. 27 13.1 Monitoring of the Fishery Development and Management Plan ................................................... 27 13.2 Monitoring protocols ...................................................................................................................... 27 14. Review and amendment of the Plan ..................................................................................................... 30 References: ................................................................................................................................................. 31 4 Preface Chilaw lagoon was declared as a Fishery Management Area in February 2012 and the twelve Fisheries Committees established for the lagoon have been officially registered with the Department of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources since August 2012. The lagoon supports an important subsistence fishery, providing livelihoods to over thousand families. However, there is no history of fisheries management in Chilaw lagoon, except for the traditional stake net (kattudel)