DEDURU OYA, Sri Lanka — An invasive fish is threatening the livelihood of individuals on this northwestern village by aggressively consuming conventional fish and shellfish species within the Deduru Oya reservoir, however the Sri Lankan fishers need to flip the adversity into a bonus.

Fishermen on thereservoir have seen over the previous two years a dwindling variety of the fish they’ve been usually catching, whereas the snakehead fish, which have by no means be seen in Sri Lanka earlier than, have been showing in droves.

The snakehead fish, seen in nations like Thailand and Indonesia, might have arrived in Sri Lanka with imported decorative fish, native officers stated. Once they began outgrowing the tanks, it was doubtless that their homeowners launched them into the reservoir.

Dr. Kelum Wijenayake, a tutorial researching the fish, stated there is no such thing as a species above the snakehead within the meals chain of Sri Lanka’s ecosystem, and that the Deduru Oya reservoir has offered them with a super breeding floor with ample meals and no predator.

In addition they usually come to the floor to inhale outdoors oxygen and are in a position to survive with simply sufficient water to maintain them hydrated, he stated. They’ve sharp tooth, sturdy jaws and are aggressive eaters, which suggests their elevated presence can harm the native ecosystem that advanced over millennia, he stated.

In addition they develop larger in comparison with conventional freshwater fish species. Fisherman Nishantha Sujeewa Kumara stated he as soon as caught a fish weighing 7 kilograms (15 kilos), whereas the native species he often catches weigh principally lower than a kilogram.

“Though we had heard of the snakehead fish earlier than, none of us had ever seen one till a hobbyist angler got here and caught it. That was the primary time we noticed it, as a result of this fish can’t be caught utilizing nets — it needs to be caught by angling,” stated Ranjith Kumara, the secretary of the realm’s fishers affiliation.

“We began fishing on this reservoir in 2016. Again then, we used to catch small prawns and different high-value varieties, however now they’ve grow to be very uncommon.”

Authorities organized an angler competitors to attempt to management the snakehead inhabitants, but it surely was unsuccessful.

Fishers, nevertheless, hope to show the invasive species risk into a possibility.

Ranjith Kumara proposed that authorities promote angler tourism as a constant management methodology, which might additionally present different financial avenues to the villagers who’re principally engaged in fishing and farming.

Fisherman Sujeewa Kariyawasam, who produces salted dried fish utilizing the invasive species, stated though contemporary snakehead fish has comparatively low market demand, the dried fish created from it’s tasty and a well-liked delicacy.

“I’m working to additional develop this enterprise. As demand continues to develop, extra snakeheads shall be caught for manufacturing, which in flip will assist management the unfold of the snakehead inhabitants.”

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