Welcome To The Lanka Fish Database

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Philosophy

Provide sustainable future for the Lankan seas, Indian Ocean.

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Project Mission & Vission

To aware people about marine fishery including food fish and ornamental fish species in Sri Lanka Sea, Indian Ocean.

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Project Scope

Scope of this study is to provide a tool for marine main food fish identification and make consumers’ attitudinal changes to take factual purchasing decision and secondly aimed to develop an identification and management tool for important marine ornamental fish species.

Research Objectives

To aware people about marine fishery including food fish and ornamental fish species in Sri Lanka Sea, Indian Ocean.

We are undergraduate students of Aquatic Resource Technology degree program of Uva Wellassa University, Badulla, Sri Lanka. This is an output of our final year research project. Identifying and sustaining the marine resources, wildlife and conservation work, we partner with scientific consultants, researchers, policy authorities and management officials.

Diverse fish stocks in the Indian Ocean consider as overfished, resulting in large-scale fishery termination will appear in near future. Marine fishery resources are mainly categorized as food fish and Marine Ornamental fish industry is a high potential industry for economic development. Not only marine food fish industry but also marine ornamental fish industry in Sri Lanka has been developed rapidly in the last decade. However, the increasing of marketing trade for marine ornamental fish species leads catching more fish in the wild. Hence, the attention regarding conservation of marine ornamental fish species need to be highly considered. Prior to taking purchasing decisions, identification of the fish species is significant to take the decision correctly. Hence the first aim of this study is to provide a tool for marine main food fish identification and make consumers’ attitudinal changes to take factual purchasing decision and secondly aimed to develop an identification and management tool for important marine ornamental fish species.

Selected fish stock status and conservation status was recorded with the available databases ranked according to a color code. Combining stock status and conservation status color codes, a different scale with five color sustainable rating was generated. A traffic light method that displays consumer advice to avoid (red), suit (green) or think (yellow) was developed using above sustainable rating. Morphological identification keys for each species under four dominant fisheries impacted marine food fish groups were developed. Marine ornamental fish exporting data of demanded marine ornamental fish species were identified under several families. The data regarding morphological and ecological characteristics of the species were used to develop a marine ornamental fish database. Six dichotomous keys were developed for each fish families. Marine fishery including food fish and ornamental fish in Sri Lanka will be updated and the sustainability of those fish species will rank and advice to the community.

Our team consists of multiple experts supported by allies including scientific advisors, researchers, and management officials. We work together to effectively sustainable marine fishery resources, protect marine wildlife and habitats in the Sri Lanka Sea.

Our members include: Charitha Dias, Asanka Withanage, Duminda Senevirathna, Nuwan Liyanage and H.M.U.Manjula Herath.
Food Species
Ornamental Species
Fish Groups
Total Data Storage

Recommendations

I am very much pleased to forward this message in launching a website on “Lanka Fish” in lined with the first International Research Symposium to be commenced on January 19th 2017. The website provides an opportunity to showcase more informative and required information on Lanka Fish particularly in identifying the levels of sustainability of selected food fish stocks and identified marine ornamental fish species common in export industry. Further, it covers multifaceted areas on Lanka Fish which encourages researchers, students, fishermen, consumers, exporters, custom officers and the officers of the fisheries for the reference of pertinent data in their chosen field. What is significant in this website is that it introduces a traffic light system for the users to decide whether to think, avoid or consume the given species in helping the sustainable utilization of resources. I congratulate Mr. N.P.P. Liyanage, Senior Lecturer, Mr. J.D.M. Senevirathna, Lecturer, Mr. H.M.U.M. Herath, System Analyst, Mr. P.C.B. Dias and W.A. Withanage, Research Students for their commitment of a novel addition as a research output.
Dr. G. Chandrasena
Vice Chancellor
Uva Wellassa University

With great pleasure I recommend the “Lankafish” web site developed by two final students of Aquatic Resources Technology Degree Programme supervised by three staff members to be launched. Marine fishery in Sri Lanka comprises both food fishes and ornamental fishes and the country is totally dependent on wild catches for production. In here, a database was established using the Information collected from various sources, specially IOTC for food fishes and Customs Department for ornamental fishes and a user friendly guide for identification of fish was developed. This website will be beneficial for students and general public as well as could be referred by various stakeholders such as, Department of Fisheries, NAQDA, NARA, Wildlife, CEA, Customs Officers and Researchers to get valuable information on marine fish identification, export market, consumer advice and conservation status.
Dr. S.C. Jayamanne
Dean, Faculty of Animal Science and Export Agriculture
Uva Wellassa University