The National Fishing Vessel Census is scheduled to begin today (04).

The Ministry of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources announced that the first phase will commence today at the Panadura Fisheries Harbor and will be implemented island-wide until August 20.

This fishing vessel census is being conducted for the first time in approximately 10 years and will cover the entire island.

According to the ministry, one of the main objectives of the census is to create an updated database of the approximately 50,000 fishing vessels operating along the country’s coastline.

The purpose of the census is to identify active fishing vessels, remove unused and dilapidated ones from the coastline, support the “Clean Sri Lanka” program, contribute to the promotion of the tourism industry, and regularize fishing operation licenses.

During the census, officers from the Department of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (DFAR) will visit each fishing harbor, inspect the vessels, and affix a special sticker.

Based on the information collected, fishing vessel operating licenses and all other related relief services will be administered starting next year.

The Ministry of Fisheries, Aquatic and Marine Resources further stated that the census aims to create an up-to-date national database of fishing vessels, and that operating licenses will not be renewed for vessels that fail to participate in the census.