With recent reports of a notable post-harvest quality loss in Sri Lanka’s fisheries industry, questions have been raised about the effectiveness of the current fish handling practices and the need to improve preservation of the produce.
Sri Lanka relies highly on its fisheries sector, which plays an indispensable role in the country’s economy. The fishing industry employs over 500,000 people and generates approximately $ 250 million in foreign exchange earnings annually.
Fish losses can significantly impact the productivity of the industry, resulting in decreased revenue, job losses, and reduced foreign exchange earnings. Additionally, the industry’s decline can have broader economic implications such as food insecurity.
Despite the importance of the industry, food loss and waste remains a significant issue, according to a Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) report on fish loss in the multi-day fisheries in Sri Lanka.
As per data available through the Ministry of Fisheries, Aquatic and Ocean Resources in January, the total quantity of fish and fishery products exported stood at 1,700.7 MT, amounting to Rs. 6,749.1 million ($ 22.8 million). Meanwhile, a total quantity of 6,312 MT had been imported, worth Rs. 3,491.8 million ($ 11.8 million).
In contrast, January 2024 saw exports of 2,015.8 MT worth Rs. 8,617 million ($ 26.8 million) and imports of 4,766.2 MT, worth Rs. 2,808.5 million ($ 8.7 million), demonstrating an ongoing increase in exports and drop in imports since 2022.
NARA findings
Against this backdrop, the National Aquatic Resources Research and Development Agency (NARA) has revealed a 40% post-harvest quality loss in the harvest brought in by multi-day fishing vessels.
Speaking to The Sunday Morning, NARA Post Harvest Technology Division Principal Scientist Dr. Sujeewa Ariyawansa shared that the monetary value of this loss amounted to Rs. 22.5 billion, although the physical loss was negligible, standing at below 2%.
“In multi-day fishing, boats remain at sea for weeks or months, which results in quality loss. The loss calculation was done by taking the fish graded at lower than high quality,” she explained.
Noting that the reasons for this quality loss was multifaceted, she pointed to the melting of ice in fish holds due to poor insulation in multi-day boats as a primary factor: “Given the extended period of time that multi-day fishing vessels need to remain at sea, they need to carry ice. The fish holds on these boats are not replaced frequently enough, which reduces insulation quality.”
Additionally, poor fish-handling practices also contribute, such as fish remaining on deck for a long period prior to storage in fish holds.
“Small crews of about three or four find it difficult to manage when there is a big catch, leading to deficiencies in handling the fish. The fish that is brought onto the boat can lie on the deck for a long time until it is moved to the fish hold for storage, perhaps due to issues with capacity,” Dr. Ariyawansa said.
Further contributors include extended soaking time in nets before hauling, prolonged fishing trip durations due to fishermen waiting until the vessels reach full capacity before returning, and inadequate chilling and ice usage as storage needs a ratio of two parts ice to one part fish to ensure proper preservation.
Such fish quality loss can be attributed to poor on-board handling techniques and inadequate insulation in fish holds, leading to the melting of ice. Moreover, extended fishing trips and high rates of ice melting can exacerbate the problem. These factors likely contribute to the inability to maintain the recommended ice-to-fish ratio, and subsequently impact the quality of the fish caught.
According to Dr. Ariyawansa, other key factors contributing to fish quality loss include the use of poor-quality contaminated ice and water in the supply chain, melting of ice in fish holds due to poor insulation in multi-day fleets, higher fish storage volume than the recommended level, poor fish-handling practices in the supply chain, and improper storage of fish in boats and in the supply chain.
Further contributors to the loss of fish quality are lack of appropriate fish handling equipment, lack of proper infrastructure at landing sites, lack of use of new technology, delayed unloading, and poor law enforcement regarding the handling of fish, fish quality, ice, water, etc.
According to the FAO, more than 40% of marine fish production in Sri Lanka is derived from multi-day deep sea fishing, which primarily employs longline fishing, gillnet fishing, and ring net fishing techniques.
The FAO has highlighted a significant economic loss resulting from fish quality deterioration in multi-day fisheries in the country, from the time of catch to unloading.
“These [quality] losses occur at various stages of the value chain, starting from the time of harvesting and continuing through subsequent stages such as processing, transportation, distribution, storage, marketing, until consumption.
“The losses in fishery not only reduce overall yield, but also negatively impact food security and the livelihoods of fishing communities, as Food Loss and Waste (FLW) in aquatic food value chains have negative economic consequences and contribute to food and nutrition insecurity,” it notes.
The study found that the highest quality losses came from ring net fishing, with 68% of the total catch in the case of ring net fishing being below the required quality level, indicating a high level of postharvest quality loss of fish.
Similarly, 61% of the total catch from gillnet fishing was of lower quality, while the longline method yielded the smallest catch quantity of low-grade fish (28%). This indicates that longline fishing may result in a lower quality loss compared to ring net fishing.
Fishermen’s perspective
Addressing the issue, All Ceylon Fisher-folk Trade Union President Aruna Roshantha asserted that the drop in quality was not primarily an issue caused by fishermen, stating: “Until the fish harvest is brought ashore, fishermen are extremely careful with the catch. They try to maintain optimum quality of the fish since they expect the maximum possible price for their catch.”
He however pointed out that the Government had not enabled the conditions to preserve the quality of fish at marketplaces, since there were no proper methods of disposal of various associated waste, leading to an environment where bacteria spread rapidly.
Roshantha further charged that the ministry had no appropriate plan or policies for the fisheries industry to create the necessary environment for fishermen or to ensure that the harvest reached the people, adding that since there was no mechanism within the country to solve these issues and improve the marketplace, the onus of the quality loss was not on fishermen.
Further expostulating on the lack of assistance from the State towards fishermen, he said: “Who taught fishermen how to bring in the fish they catch? No one has taught them. Fishermen themselves catch the fish and figure out how to bring in the fish, how to install an ice box, etc. No one from the ministry or NARA has taught us this.
“To whom have the authorities shown these reports? Without doing this, there is no point in declaring that the quality of fish is low. If quality is low, they need to teach how to preserve quality or convey such technology to the fishermen, which should also be a practical method.”
Similarly, speaking to The Sunday Morning, All-Island Multi-Day Boat Owners’ Association Chairman Tyrone Mendis, whose association primarily fishes tuna for export, asserted that the quality of the catch was high since only then would there be a better price.
However, he did acknowledge that the fish harvest was lower than before, meaning that boats had to stay out at sea for longer in order to yield a sufficient harvest.
“When it takes longer, such as about 60 days, the initial catch does lose its quality. Given the current expenses, fishermen cannot afford to come ashore with a smaller catch,” he said.
Mendis noted that should the ice be of lower quality, it was difficult to preserve fish. Moreover, when there is higher demand for ice, manufacturers unload ice before it is properly ready, which results in lower-quality ice that melts sooner. There are also cases when ice manufacturers use the wrong type of water for ice, which results in muddy water when the ice melts.
He further pointed out that the increase in costs meant that it was no longer viable for fishermen to upgrade their cold storages on boats.
“The coolrooms of multi-day vessels also degrade in quality as they age. With current costs, fishermen face a significant issue in fixing these coolrooms,” he said, noting that costs for building boats had almost doubled.
“When we unload the fish, third parties grade the fish and transport them away in lorries to exporters. The lower-quality fish will be put to the local market; only the high-quality fish will be exported,” he stated.
In longline fishing, which takes hours to assemble and dismantle, the fish that are caught on the line first end up dying, and these are inevitably of lower quality. In contrast, when the fish are alive when loaded onto the boat, fishermen can clean the gills and guts, wash, and store the fish in ice, which ensures that their quality is preserved better, since the gills and guts spoil first. If the fish is stored in ice within an hour of being caught, there is less chance for germs to spread.
Mendis pointed to a lack of management on the part of the Fisheries Ministry and Department leading to poor fishing practices, resulting in declining fish populations.
“About 20 years ago, we used to engage in longline fishing within our own maritime boundary. However, at present, even if we fish at the international maritime boundary in a 60-foot boat for two months, we catch the same amount we used to catch back then,” he said, indicating how the available fish harvest in the ocean had decreased significantly.
Solutions and recommendations
Meanwhile, commenting on the measures being undertaken to address post-harvest quality losses, Department of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources Director M. Marcus noted that as of recently, only boats of more than 50 feet were allowed to be built, in addition to cooling systems being introduced as a pilot project.
Addressing the measures underway to reduce post-harvest losses, he explained: “We are providing awareness to fishermen on the matter, in addition to taking steps to improve harbour facilities. The ministry is taking various steps in this regard.”
When it came to the quality of fisheries products in the domestic and international markets, Marcus pointed out that various countries had different requirements for fish quality, which depended on consumer preference. He strongly denied that the local market received lower-quality fish while the higher-quality produce was exported.
According to Dr. Ariyawansa, in order to address post-harvest quality losses, there is currently a draft on fish handling regulations, which can be enforced in future.
Other recommendations include strengthening the fishing ground forecasting system; application of appropriate technology; and training and education programmes to improve the skills and knowledge of multi-day fishermen and other stakeholders such as boat owners, ice plant staff, fishery harbour staff, boat cleaning staff, transporters, input suppliers, sellers, etc.
Further recommendations involve the implementation of fisheries regulations for the handling of fish in the supply chain; strengthening market linkages and ensuring strong market linkages between fish sellers and buyers; strengthening infrastructure and services; and upgrading the fishing fleet.
Given the significant challenges faced by the fishing industry in the country regarding fish quality loss, it becomes crucial that stakeholders introduce strategies aimed at preventing and reducing fish loss throughout the value chain.