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An invasive fish is threatening the livelihoods of people in this north-western village by aggressively eating traditional fish and shellfish species in the Deduru Oya Reservoir, but Sri Lanka Fishermen want to turn adversity into advantage.
fishermen The past two years have seen a decline in the numbers of fish commonly caught in the reservoirs there, while snakehead fish, never seen before in Sri Lanka, are appearing in droves.
Snakehead fish, seen in countries like Thailand And IndonesiaIt may have reached Sri Lanka with imported ornamental fish, local officials said. When they began growing the tanks, it was likely that their owners abandoned them in the reservoir.
Dr. Kelam Wijenayake, an academic who researches the fish, said there are no species above the snake’s head in the food chain of Sri Lanka’s ecosystem, and the Deduru Oya Reservoir provided them an ideal breeding ground with ample food and no predators.
They often come to the surface to seek external oxygen, he said, and are only able to survive with enough water to keep them hydrated. They have sharp teeth, strong jaws and are aggressive eaters, he said, which means their growing presence could harm the local ecosystem that has evolved over millennia.
They are also larger than traditional freshwater fish species. Fisherman Nishant Sujiva Kumara said he once caught a fish weighing 7 kilograms (15 pounds), while the native species he usually catches mostly weigh less than a kilogram.
“Although we had heard about the snakehead fish before, none of us had seen it until an amateur fisherman came and caught it. This was the first time we saw it, because this fish cannot be caught using nets – it has to be caught by fishing,” said Ranjit Kumara, secretary of the fishermen’s association of the area.
“We started fishing in this reservoir in 2016. At that time, we used to catch small prawns and other high-value varieties, but now they have become very rare.”
Authorities organized a fishing competition to try to control the snakehead population, but it was unsuccessful.
However, fishermen hope to turn the threat of invasive species into an opportunity.
Ranjit Kumara proposed that the authorities promote angler tourism as a sustainable control method, which could also provide alternative economic avenues to villagers who are mostly engaged in fishing and farming.
Fisherman Sujeewa Kariyawasam, who produces salted dried fish using invasive species, said that although fresh snakehead fish has relatively little demand in the market, the dried fish made from it is delicious and a popular dish.
“I am working to further develop this business. As demand continues to grow, more snake heads will be caught for production, which in turn will help control the spread of the snake head population.”
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