12 November 2020 12:07 am Views - 340
By Hiran Priyankara Jayasinghe
Fisher folks in several areas in the Puttlam District said they were in a predicament for want of a market for fish, due to the fear psychosis created among consumers by the misconception that fish- eating would expose them to the CORONA virus.
The affected fishermen were from Puttalam, Wennappuwa, Mahawewa, Thoduwawa, Mahawewa, Kandakuliya, Chilaw , Kalpitiya and Serakkuliliya.
They said thousands of families of small- scale fishermen were the worst affected. The fishermen pointed out that the spread of CORONA virus from the Peliyagoda Fish Market cluster led to that state, but the authorities had not taken any step to dispel the doubt among the people.
“ We have lost our livelihood for want of buyers for fish caught . Even the fish vendors have ceased to buy fish from us. We are incurring heavy losses without an income to cover the cost of fuel. Small scale fishermen are the
worst affected.
Owners of multi-day trawlers have been provided relief and they have a market through agencies exporting fish. Large stocks of fish have been piled up in the beaches due to lack of distribution arrangements.” they said.
“The misconception that the CORONA-virus would spread through fish eating resulted in this situation. I have been compelled to close my business .It is sad that the relevant authorities have not yet launched an effective propaganda campaign to clear this fear psychosis and resolve the issue. The season of rough seas in the North West has ended and the harvesting season has set in, but the loss of market for fish is a serious issue affecting the fish trade. The prevailing situation is a severe blow on the fisheries industry in the country” he said.
Meanwhile Puttalam Distrtict Asst.Director of Fisheries Suminda Wickramarachchi said that it was a misconception created by rumour mongers that CORONA virus spread through fish and that the people should realise the fact and get rid of that misconception.
“Fisher folk in the Puttalam District have been left without a market for fish.
However the Fisheries Corporation is not running large scale cold storages to buy and stock the fish. This is a matter of serious concern” he said.