Sri Lanka has used the 37th Session of the Committee on Fisheries (COFI 37) at the FAO headquarters in Rome to argue that the international definition of small-scale fisheries is drawn too narrowly, and that vessel length and engine horsepower are poor proxies for who actually needs protecting.
The session runs from 7 to 11 September. Sri Lanka was represented by Dr. B. K. Kolitha Kamal Jinadasa, Secretary to the Ministry of Fisheries, Aquatic and Ocean Resources.
The definitional argument
Dr. Jinadasa told the session that the small-scale category should not rest on technical criteria alone. Social, economic and institutional factors — and the actual livelihood conditions of fishing communities — should count as well, and international fisheries policy should better reflect the realities faced by fishing communities in developing countries.
The stake in that argument is practical. Small-scale fisheries, he said, contribute significantly to national food security, fisher livelihoods, export earnings and the development of the blue economy. Where the line is drawn determines which vessels fall inside protective provisions and which are treated as commercial operators.
Data, and what is done with it
The second thrust of Sri Lanka’s statement was that fisheries data should not stop at statistical reporting but be translated into national and regional policy and practical decision-making.
Colombo recognised the value of the FAO’s FishStat database while pressing for stronger stock assessment capability in developing countries, so fishery resources can be evaluated scientifically rather than estimated. It called for knowledge-sharing and technical cooperation through the Bay of Bengal Programme Inter-Governmental Organisation (BOBP-IGO).
Two national developments were placed on the record: the Dr. Fridtjof Nansen fishery survey programme in Sri Lankan waters was completed this year, and a dedicated data collection unit is being established to make collection continuous rather than episodic. Sri Lanka also reports through the Indian Ocean Tuna Commission (IOTC) and its Vessel Monitoring System (VMS).
Post-harvest losses and IUU fishing
Sri Lanka named the reduction of post-harvest losses as a priority ranking alongside raising production, with work under way on cold-chain facilities at fishery harbours and landing sites to preserve quality and market value.
On illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing, Dr. Jinadasa noted that Sri Lanka has now reached ten years as a party to the Agreement on Port State Measures (PSMA), and argued the gap to close is between legal frameworks and their practical implementation — not the absence of law. He pointed to the Bay of Bengal Large Marine Ecosystem (BOBLME) initiative as a vehicle for regional cooperation.
That framing sits alongside Sri Lanka’s agreement with Norway on vessel tracking and fisheries crime.
Also on the COFI 37 agenda
The session brings together policymakers, researchers, industry, NGOs and other stakeholders. Items under discussion include the State of World Fisheries and Aquaculture (SOFIA 2026) report, measures against IUU fishing, climate change adaptation and mitigation, and the advancement of small-scale fisheries and aquaculture.
Not reported
The Daily Mirror account does not say whether Sri Lanka’s definitional proposal was tabled as a formal submission or made in debate, whether any other delegation supported it, or what the completed Nansen survey found about the state of Sri Lankan stocks. No other verified newsroom carried the statement when this article was filed, and Ada Derana’s domain was returning a CloudFront block.
