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The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) facilitated the organization of a national workshop in Sri Lanka to validate the new legislative proposal to repeal and replace the Fisheries and Aquatic Resources Act, No. 2, 1996.

The validation workshop took place on the 25 and 26 October 2023.

The legislative proposal for a new Fisheries Act was developed by the Legal Drafting Committee appointed by the country’s Minister of Fisheries in 2022, with the technical support from FAO.

The proposed new Fisheries Act is a very comprehensive and complete set of rules, providing measures to combat illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing effectively by enhancing the implementation of the country’s international responsibilities as a coastal, flag and port state, including market measures.

Through the validation workshop, the Department of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources gave an in-depth explanation to stakeholders from different government agencies and fishers’ organizations on how the legislative proposal incorporates their concerns expressed during the consultation process which took place in the months leading to the workshop.

The validation workshop was attended by the Director-General of the Department of Fisheries, senior representatives from the ministries of fisheries, labour, immigration, the national aquaculture department, the national fisheries research institute, the navy, the National Fisheries Federation, the fisheries harbours federation, and the boats association.

The legislative proposal for a new Fisheries Act now will have to be revised by the Legal Draftsman’s Office and the Attorney General’s Office, for alignment with legislative drafting styles and the country's Constitution, respectively.

FAO provides assistance to Sri Lanka in the context of the Norwegian funded project on responsible use of fisheries and aquatic resources for sustainable development (GCO/GLO/352/NOR).