WFD celebrated and VG - SSF Country report submitted to authorities.
National Fisheries Solidarity Movement celebrated the World fisheries day in Negombo on 22nd November 2011, with more than 500 fisher community members from all over the Island, together with World fishing community under the theme of “Ensure Food Sovereignty, Through International Instrument For Small Scale Fisheries”.
The program was organized focusing submitting of report prepared on voluntary guide line for small scale fisheries to the Sri Lankan Fisheries authorities.
The report on fisheries issues, expected solutions and proposals on expected changes in the fisheries sector to establish sustainable small scale fisheries, was prepared after consulting fishers in seven coastal districts and two inland districts to use as guiding document to the government for preparations to the FAO-COFI (Food and Agriculture Organization- Committee On Fisheries)meeting which will be held in 2012 May.
The 29th Session of the FAO Committee on Fisheries (COFI) held in February 2011 recommended that an international instrument on small-scale fisheries be developed. This is based on the increasing recognition of small-scale fisheries as a principal contributor to poverty alleviation and food security and the guidance provided by a number of global and regional conferences and consultative meetings exploring how to better bring together responsible fisheries and social development in coastal and inland fishing communities.(www.fao.org)
Sri Lanka report was submitted to the District Fisheries Officer(DFO) in Gampaha, since the fisheries minister or his authoritative representative from the ministry was not participated to the program.
Program was concluded with a strong demonstration in the Negombo city with fishers participated to the WFD program. Fishers were walk to the city and asked the government to establish fishers rights and sustainable fisheries in the country.