Untitled - Neccdep.com

TRINCOMALEE BAY SPECIAL MANAGEMENT AREA Page | 40
178. Some fishermen, who were earlier opponents of seashell mining, have now joined the
seashell mining as an alternative livelihood. Due to this trend, the number of fishermen in the
area has reduced in the recent past. Studies also revealed that shrimp are breeding in the
mangrove habitats and cutting of mangroves directly affects the breeding of shrimps.
179. Based on the findings of these studies, NARA provided guidelines for seashell mining
in 2007. These are listed below. However, there have been no annual assessments after the
first study. It is necessary to have a management process and an annual assessment before
taking a decision on whether it is necessary to issue permits for transport.
a. Transport permits issued should be limited to 20,000 ground seashell powder
bags per month as a mean of controlling the environmental impacts;
b. Establishment of new grinding mills should not be allowed in the area;
c. Control further expansion of seashell mining industry to control the damage to
mangrove habitat;
d. Develop a management process for relevant authorities (Divisional Secretary
and Fishery Department) with the consultation of seashell powder producers
association;
e. It is necessary to do annual assessments to provide information to make
management decisions.
180. None of these guidelines have been implemented to date and there is illegal as well
as legal seashell grinding taking place in the area. None of the relevant authorities are taking
action to manage the seashell mining and grinding activities. Hence it is necessary for the TB
SAM Plan to identify appropriate action through the DSAM CCC.
f. Salt manufacturing
181. Salt production in mini salterns is becoming a popular livelihood activity in the western
section of Kinniya and more than 30 families manage mini-salterns. Most of the salt marshes
have been converted to saltern. Some salterns are operating illegally on state lands and
others are located in private and leased lands. In the field studies, it was noticed that these
salterns operate without proper guidelines and monitoring. Hence the quality of the product is
low and the processing and packaging centres also have low hygienic conditions. Hence, it is
necessary to manage the saltern under proper guidelines to ensure a high quality product.
The TB SAM Plan needs to identify appropriate action for implementation through the coordination
of the DSAM CCC.
g. Cod bay fishery harbour
182. Cod bay fishery harbour is the key fishery facility in the whole of the Eastern Province.
It provides anchorage facilities to many hundreds of multi-day boats and smaller boats. There
are many services providers to the fishery harbour and this contributes to the economy of the
Trincomalee bay area. Multiple day boat operators from distant locations such as Negombo,
Chillaw and Southern Province use Cod bay as am anchorage point for their boats. More
than 2000 fishers are directly employed in these boats and are using Trincomalee as an
employment point. More than 15 lorries transport fish catch to Colombo and other parts of the
country. The Cod bay fishery harbour facility contributes to the local economy in a significant
manner. Figure IV.8 illustrates some of the multi-day boats in Cod bay.