Sri Lanka defends plan to build reef
The Hindu
It is aimed at enhancing fish breeding, say authorities
COLOMBO Days after Tamil Nadu fishermen protested against Sri Lanka’s efforts to build an artificial reef off Delft island, west of Jaffna peninsula, authorities defended the move “aimed at enhancing fish breeding”. Last week, Sri Lanka’s Department of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources, with the assistance of the Navy, launched a project, dropping around 20 discarded buses into the sea off Delft, as was earlier done in other parts of the island nation, including the eastern Trincomalee district, officials said. “Many countries, including India, have in the past created artificial reefs to facilitate fish spawning. Old train carriages were used in the U.S., for instance,” Cabinet Minister for Fisheries Douglas Devananda, who represents Jaffna district in Parliament, told The Hindu. The move was backed by research undertaken by Sri Lanka’s National Aquatic Resources Research and Development Agency (NARA), he said.More Related News