Ministry of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources Development has been reported that nearly 5 tons of plastic water bottles are disposed to sea that are being carried by over 50 000 fishing vessels daily going for fishing at sea.

The matter was brought forward during the progress review meeting held under the chairmanship of Minister of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources Development last month. The Director General of the Fisheries Department briefed Hon Minister that such waste cause harmful effects to fish, coral-reefs, aquatic plants and other aquatic species.

Minister mentioned that carrying plastic water bottles of every size on-board shall immediately be prohibited in support of the His Excellency’s vision of protecting natural resources of the country.

Fishers shall use a permanent water container to be carried on-board and every fishing vessel shall be strictly checked by fishery harbors in departures, emphasized the Minister. He also instructed to immediately issue the related circular to all the district fisheries offices and to assistant fisheries directors.

The Fisheries Ministry has requested the Navy and the Coast Guard to inspect all fishing vessels that are leaving or returning to port to check for plastic objects after a internal study found that nearly five tons of plastic waste are dumped in Lankan seas, a senior official from the ministry said.