Can Sri Lanka Truly Sustain What Sustains Us?

 

 

Mankeni,  Batticaloa District, Sri Lanka

Aruna Sampath

The ocean, which makes up more than 70% of the planet's surface, is the source of life on Earth. It provides more than 50% of the oxygen on Earth, sustains a vast amount of biodiversity, feeds billions of people, and controls the climate. It serves as a vital basis for human survival, livelihoods, and food security. However, a number of human caused factors, such as overfishing, which has reduced 90% of large fish populations, widespread pollution from chemicals, plastics, and industrial waste, as well as the serious consequences of climate change, such as coral bleaching and rising sea levels, pose a serious threat to this vital resource.(United Nations 2025) Furthermore, about half of coral reef ecosystems have already been destroyed, endangering marine biodiversity. In light of this, the theme for 2025 World Oceans Day, "Wonder: Sustaining What Sustains Us," calls on everyone to rediscover the ocean's breathtaking beauty and significance while acting quickly and cooperatively to restore its health.

 It asks us to preserve and value this wonderful place while serving as a reminder of how vital the ocean is to life. The message holds particular significance for the people of Sri Lanka because of their geographical and cultural connections to the ocean. In Colombo, Sri Lanka held a national celebration of World Oceans Day 2025, emphasising the importance of "saving the wonderful ocean that protects us" ( MEPA 2025), (News First 2025) indicates that a growing number of people are realising that the nation's oceans' health is equally as vital as the nation's overall health.

The Sri Lankan Connection to the Sea

Sri Lanka's economy and culture are significantly influenced by the ocean(Gagan Bulathsinghala 2025). The nation's exclusive economic zone is nearly eight times the size of its land area, and it has  1,340 km coastline. Rich marine ecosystems such as mangrove forests, seagrass beds, and coral reefs can be found in this area (Ministry of Fisheries 2023). Numerous plant and animal species can be found in these waters, including more than 200 different kinds of hard corals (CCD 2024) and 21 different types of mangroves (Ranawana 2017).

Millions of Sri Lankans rely on the ocean-based occupations including direct and indirect jobs,  mainly, tourism, and fishing. The importance of the ocean for food security is demonstrated by the fact that fish account for 50% of the animal protein in diets and roughly 60% of the nation's protein intake in Sri Lanka (Jayasekara, Wijekoon, and Somaratne 2022). It is obvious that the ocean plays a significant role in Sri Lankan life, from the food and income that coastal communities.

Issues related to marine sustainability

Although, there are many marine resources in Sri Lanka, but protecting them is a challenge. Years of poor management , less stockholders participation for resources management and conservation and external pressures have led to a decline in ocean resources, specially fishery resources in Sri Lankan waters( Vyddiyaratnam 2018) , (Ministry of Fisheries 2024).  Large areas of coastal habitat have been lost or degraded as a result of pollution and coastal development (Manage et al. 2022). Fish populations and biodiversity have suffered as a result of overfishing , destructive fishing practices and poor managed without scientific evidence (Ministry of Fisheries 2024). According to annual fisheries statics of ministry of fisheries, marine fish stocks has significantly dropped in 2022 by  roughly 175,000 tonnes compared to 2016 fish production (Ministry of Fisheries 2024).  For instance, due to IUU fishing, the European Union temporarily prohibited the import of fish from Sri Lanka in 2014 (DailyFt 2016), (FAO 2019). After the government tightened vessel monitoring and regulations, the ban was lifted in 2016. As a results of the MT X-Press Pearl disaster occurred off the coast of Sri Lanka in 2021, beaches were contaminated and fishing was prohibited in the impacted areas after a ship carrying chemicals and plastic pellets sank. The negative impacts of this incident are still being experienced by fishers operating in the area. Additionally, Sri Lanka's fishery resources are being depleted and seabed habitats are being harmed by Indian trawlers' illegal fishing operations along the northern coast. Attempts to limit or manage these incursions have not been successful thus far, and the issue seems to be getting worse every day (Rubathesan 2024),(Malaka Rodrigo 2025) . Given all of these issues, we question whether Sri Lanka will be able to maintain its marine resources.

It is crucial to apply scientific knowledge to the preservation and sustainable use of fisheries resources. But this has been a issue for Sri Lanka's fishing industry (Ministry of Fisheries 2024). In order to support evidence-based management, discussions are ongoing regarding the conduct of the R/V Dr. Fridtjof Nansen survey, but no final decision has been made yet.  Report state that the government has not yet approved the foreign research vessels entering Sri Lanka’s territorial water (The Sunday Times 2025), and media outlets speculate that it might not receive approval for the survey(லியோ நிரோஷ தர்ஷன் 2025). This is an unfortunate setback to initiatives promoting science driven conservation strategies, solutions and promote resource sustainability, which are values supported by Sri Lanka's national fisheries policies, strategic guidelines, and the proposed new fisheries legislation.

To bring about positive change, the Sri Lankan government and civil society have launched a number of initiatives particularly at the policy level. Officials are beginning to embrace the concept of a blue economy (EDB Sri Lanka 2023) ,(NPP 2024) as well as the vision of a "Clean Sri Lanka" is being adopted by officials more and more, with an emphasis on programs meant to improve coastal environmental protection, encourage sustainable waste management, and lessen marine pollution (Thilal 2025). The government hope to see sustainable growth in fields like eco-friendly travel, fisheries, and renewable energy (NPP 2024) . Further,  Sri Lanka's ocean resources are being actively conserved by NGOs and private groups in addition to the government. Such initiatives demonstrate Sri Lanka's dedication and the potential for innovation

However, there are still issues with resource availability specially financing and law enforcement. For instance, combating pollution or illicit fishing requires greater capacity and resources.

  Reference

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