Research Symposium-2015
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Browsing Research Symposium-2015 by Subject "Aquatic Resources"
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Item Analyze the Histamine level in various positions of the Histamine developed Tuna fish(Uva Wellassa University of Sri Lanka, 2015) Kalubowila, K.S.H.; Liyanage, N.P.P.; Perera, A.Sea food processing industry is a high income generating field in Sri Lanka and it brings high foreign exchange to the country. Big eye tuna (Thunnus obesus) and yellow fin tuna (Thunnus albacares) are the major tuna types which are exported by Sri Lanka to the international market. (FAO, 2014).However the presence of Histamine is the problematic factor inTuna fish processing industry which leads the industry to many health issues and income losses. Histamine is a chemical compound created from histidine and enteric bacteria are capable of transforming histidine to histamine by the enzyme decarboxylase. Once histamine is formed, it cannot be not destroyed by freezing, cooking, smoking, curing or canning. Histamine level of more 2012).Histamine level varies position of the tuna fish body. Hence this research was carried out to identify and analyze the Histamine level in various positions of the Histamine developed tuna fish. Methodology Survey was done to select the positions of taking samples from tuna fish. 15 fresh fish processing companies were selected and questionnaire was given. Three positions were selected based on the questionnaire filled by the fish processing companies. Three positions of the tuna fish were selected, beneath the pectoral fin of the fish, near the belly area and the tail end respectively and thirty tuna fish were subjected to Histamine test individually. ELISA method and histaminevertox test kit were used to analyze the histamine levels in the tuna fish.Sample preparation, sample extraction, sample dilution and Histamine testing are the major steps done in ELISA method. Collected data were analyzed by using Minitab 17 software.Highest mean values and variance values were taken from those positions. Non parametric Mann-Whitney test was done to find out the significant different among positions. Results and Discussion Highest mean values and variance values were taken from those positions. High Histamine was recorded in the belly area due to the most of the bacteria which responsible for converting Histidine to Histamine, lived in the gut of tuna fish. Through poor post-harvest techniques, low hygiene practices, bad catching method, bad killing methods and bad handling methods could expose the gut material to the fish muscles and so enteric bacteria easily release the Histidine decarboxylase enzyme to Histidine free specific amino acid and then forming Histamine (Koohdaret al., 2010).This reaction cannot be stopped and can only be controlled. Usually low histamine levels could be observed from gilled and gutted fish because gilled and gutted fish had low probability to contaminate by histamine forming enteric bacteria (Ebrahimet al., 2012).Very low Histamine level was recorded in the tail area because effect of enteric bacteria which lived in the tail was very low because of that ability to bacterial contamination also very low and histamine also very low.Item A comparative study on the effectiveness of gillnet and longline fishing methods used by multi-day fishermen in Matara fisheries district(Uva Wellassa University of Sri Lanka, 2015) Jathunga, M.I.; Wickramaratne, I.U.; Liyanage, N.P.P.; Gunawardane, N.D.P.The fisheries sector of Sri Lanka is a primary source of animal protein production. According to the high rate of population growth in Sri Lanka, fish food demand is increasing. To fulfill this increasing demand, there should be an effective fishing method for high rate of exploitation and exploited resources should be high quality and high value for the better utilization. In the late 1980s, Sri Lankan state introduced multiday offshore fishing vessels for the development of Sri Lankan offshore fisheries (Kariyawasam, 2010). The gillnet fishery and the longline fishery is the common fishing methods used in the deep sea fishing in Sri Lanka. According to the DFAR statistics in 2013, Matara fisheries district is one of the districts which provide high fish production to the nation. The gillnet fishery is most commonly used fishing method in multiday boats fishermen in Matara fisheries district and they do not engage in longline fishery very much. The identification of the suitable fishing methods is important to increase production level, quality of the production and income of the multiday fishermen. Therefore the present study is focused on comparison of the effectiveness of gillnet fishing and longline fishing methods as a deep sea fishing method used by multiday fishermen in Matara district. Materials and Methodology The data were collected from multiday fishing boats in “Dondra” fisheries harbor from 1 of May to 14 of June 2014. The sample size was determined by “Moving average method” and the total landings and fishing methods of 66 multiday boats were collected accordingly. Catch and effort data, income of the fishermen and quality of the landing were collected using prepared data sheets. The catch and effort data collection sheet was consisted of data regarding the duration of the fishing, the fishing techniques (gear) used in the trip, total catch per day, the species composition of the catch in number and/ or weight, gear information (length of net, mesh size, number of hooks per long line, soaking time,) vessel information (storage facilities, hauling technique, length of boats). The income data collection sheet was consisted of species composition, total weight of each fish species and price of the fish in particular day. Organoleptic survey has been done in order to determine the quality of the fish yield of each boat. According to the organoleptic evaluation, nature of the fish skin, nature of the gill, eye appearance and consistency of flesh were evaluated. The quality of the fish has been evaluated by scoring them according to the level of quality. Then mean of the score of the quality parameter was calculated to determine quality of the harvest in each multi-day boat. The collected data have been analyzed by using “Microsoft excel-2010” and compared with “One-way ANOVA table” by using “Minitab 16” software. Results and Discussion According to the study, there were 3 types of main fishing methods which were used by multi-day fishermen in Matara fisheries district. They are, gillnet, longline and combination of gillnet and longline fishing methods. There were 39.4% multiday fishing boats which used only gill net, 22.7% multiday fishing boats which used only long line and 37.8% fishing boats which used a combination of gillnet and long line. Mainly tuna and tuna like species were targeted in the study. The total catches of the different fishing gears were taken as weight of harvest per boat day. According to the results, the mean catch per boat day of the gill net, long line and combination of the longline and gill net were 133.7 kg, 94.2 kg, and 165.1 kg respectively. Therefore the multiday boats which used combination of gillnet and longline fishing method gained significantly higher yield than that of gillnet and longline fishing methods. The lower mean catch per boat day was gained by the longline fishing method. When considering main fish species which were caught by each fishing gear, the mean catches per boat day of Skipjack tuna (Katsuwonus pelamis) were 62.11 kg, and 64.76 kg respectively for gill net, and combination of the gill net and longline. In Matara fisheries district there were no multiday fishermen who used longline fishing method to catch skipjack tuna. The mean catches per boat day for yellow fin tuna (Thunnus albacares) were 7.05 kg, 79.39 kg and 70.56 kg respectively for gillnet, longline and combination of gillnet and long line. Similarly the mean catches per boat day of frigate tuna (Auxis thazard) were 12.29 kg, and 70.56 kg in gillnet, and combination of gillnet and longline respectively. There was no frigate tuna catch in long line fishery. According to this result, mainly long line fishing gear was used to harvest yellow fin tuna. The skipjack tuna and frigate tuna were harvested by using gillnet fishing method. When considering income of the multiday fishermen, the mean of the total income of multi-day fishermen who harvested fish using gill net, longline and combination of gillnet and longline is Rs 300,577.00, Rs 1,251,567.00 and Rs 1,068,474.00, respectively. The highest income was gained by the multi-day fishermen who used longline fishing method and the lowest income was gained by fishermen who used gillnet fishing method, among the three fishing methods. According to the organoleptic survey data, the quality of the fish in gill net, long line and combination of gill net and long line fishing methods were 1.99 0.41,2.32 0.31 and 2.04 0.39,respectively. The quality of the fish was high in fish which were harvested by longline and quality was low in fish which were harvested by gillnet. In the ANOVA test, there was not significant different between gear categories and the total catch per boat day (P>0.05). But, there was a significant different between gear categories and catch per boat day of tuna and tuna like species (P<0.05). Similarly, there were significant differences between gear categories and income of the fishermen and also gear categories and quality of fish (P<0.05). According to these result, it shows gear categories are not significantly affect on the total catches per boat day but it significantly affect for the catches of tuna and tuna like species, income of the fishermen and quality of fish. According to the above results, the gillnet fishing method has recorded, high catch, low income and low quality fish and long line fishing method has recorded low catch, high income and high quality fish while combination of gillnet and long line fishing method has recorded high catch, medium income and medium quality fish. But the ANOVA result showed total catch per boat day was not significantly affected by fishing gear categories. Therefore, though they have similar amount of fish harvest, multi-day boat fishermen who used longline fishing method has had high income and high quality fish than other two types of fishing methods. The analysis of catch composition of tuna and tuna like species showed that long line fishing method is much more species selective fishing gear than other two types of fishing methods. It is used to catch only target fish species which having high commercial value. And also, the amount of fish discarded by the longline is less than that of gillnet due to harvest of high quality fish in longline fishing method. The reason is that the fish remain alive for much longer period when hooked than when gilled (Santoset al., 2002). Because of that reason, the quality of the fish that harvested by longline is higher than gillnet fishing method. Because of their high quality, the value of the fish increases and fishermen obtained higher income with the longline fishing method.Item Determination of a suitable growing medium and a commercial fertilizer for Echinodorus parviflorus ‘Tropica’ in the nursery level(Uva Wellassa University of Sri Lanka, 2015) Amarakoonge, K.; Bambaranda, B.V.A.S.M.; Jayamanne, S.C.; Jayarathne, K.P.N.N.S.Aquatic Plant varieties have unique morphology and habitats as commercially important aquatic plants. Dissanayakel., 2007). The most popular ornamental aquarium plants genera are Anubias, Cryptocoryne, Echinodorous, Aponogeton, Hygrophyla, Bacopa, Hydrilla, Cabomba, Myriophyllum, Aponogeton and Echinodorous have important characteristics as aquarium plants in Sri Lanka. Echinodorus species have attractive green to mid green submerged leaves arranged in a rosette with beautiful, white flowers occurring in an inflorescence (Muhlberg, 1982). Aquatic plants play a significant role in the freshwater ecosystems worldwide. With time ecosystem may collapse without aquatic plants due to wild collection. Therefore growing plants is solution for that. An aquatic plant growing medium was essential for that. The growing mediums contain sand, silt and clay proportion according to the ratio of the medium. Four different ratios were used as treatments (T). T1- Boggy soil: Bricks particles T2- 3:1, Boggy soil 3: Sand 1, T3-Boggy soil: Top soil -3:1, T4-Top soil were treatments. Growing medium should balance the aeration and water for maximum root growth and physically support for the plant. Practical size of the growing medium should be with adequate pore spaces between the particles (Bilderbackl., 2005) Nutrition is a major factor for the plant growth. Therefore nutrient should be supplied in optimum level at the correct time as fertilizers. Methodology The present study was carried out to investigate the effect of growing medium and fertilizer for the growth of Echinodorus parviflorus‘Tropica’ National Aquaculture Development Authority (NAQDA) Ornamental Fish Breeding and Training center in Rambadagalle Sri Lanka. Experiment one was conducted to find out a suitable nursery medium for the E.parviflorus ‘Tropica’ plant. Boggy soil, brick particles, sand and top soil were used. Using those growing substrate four types of media used as treatments (T), T1- Boggy soil: Bricks particles T2- 3:1, Boggy soil 3: Sand 1, T3-Boggy soil: Top soil -3:1, T4-Top soil were treatments. Experiment two four fertilizer mixture used as four treatment of fertilizer, T1-N: P: K -4:2:1, T2- N: P: K -5:2:3,T3- N: P: K -3:1:1and T4- N: P: K - 20:20:20 were used during this study. Uniform Echinodorus parviflorus ‘Tropica’ about 4.5 cm -6.5 cm heights, same age plants were selected for the experiment. Old and rotted leaves were removed; leaving 5- 6 laves to remain. Old and rotted roots also were trimmed, leaving the only healthy roots. Initial weights between 0.5 g - 1.5 g of plants were selected.Experiment one and two results were analyzed by using Minitab 16 computer package and significant differences between treatments were identified using Analysis Of Variance (ANOVA) produce at 5% probability level. In experiment one T4-Top soil and experiment two T4- N: P: K -20:20:20 were used as control of the both experiments. Results According to experiment one, Boggy soil 3: sand 1(T2) growing medium was most suitable growing medium among other used media for the E.parviflorus ‘Tropica’.In the experiment one, there was significant difference (P< 0.05) among four treatments regarding increment of plant height, weight, dry weight and root length. As indicated Table1, the maximum growth was observed in T2.Item Development of a suitable culture media for mass culture of Moina macrocopa(Uva Wellassa University of Sri Lanka, 2015) De Silva, G. N. M.; Jayamanne, S. C.; Chandrarathna, W. P. R.Two experiments were conducted to develop a suitable method for culturing Moina macrocopa in National Aquaculture Development Authority (NAQDA) at Rambadagalla. Experiment 1 was conducted to find out possible culture media and to determine its concentration for mass culture. Experiment 2 was conducted to find out the best culture medium and its concentration for mass culture of Moina macrocopa. All bottles and tanks used in experiments were cleaned, drained and sun dried for two days and then filled with water, left for two days before using. Moina macrocopa for all experiments were taken from stock culture developed in NAQDA Centre at Rambadagalla. Pure culture of Chlorella vulgaris (1×10 cells per 1 ml) was acquired from NAQDA Centre at Rambadagalla. Filtered tap water was used in both experiments. In experiment 1, five culture media; mineralized cow dung, steamed cow dung, 15 min. boiled chicken manure, 30 min. boiled chicken manure, and 1 hr. boiled chicken manure were prepared with four different concentrations such as 5 . Different concentrations with various media tested with and without adding Chlorella into the medium. As control, a medium only with Chlorella and water was maintained. Three replicates from each treatment were maintained during experiment. Five individuals of Moina macrocopa were inoculated into each bottle. After that, top of the bottles were covered with a mosquito net to prevent entrance of undesired insects. They were allowed to stay 10 days and after that data were collected. Three samples from every tank were collected using 3 ml of fine dropping pipette. Samples were taken from the surface to bottom at three random points. Collected data (number of Moina macrocopa ) were analyzed using Minitab 16 software with ANOVA, general linear model. According to the results of experiment 1, the positive culture media and their concentrations were used in experiment 2. Selected treatments were prepared as same as in experiment 1. 150 individuals of Moina macrocopa were introduced into each tank. After ten days, 25 ml samples were taken as earlier and preserved using two drops of 1.007 g cm Lugol’s solution. Values of all tanks were recorded. Data were analyzed as in experiment 1. Results and Discussion According to the preliminary experiment, there was a significant relationship between number of Moina macrocopa and culture medium (p<0.05). There was a significant relationship between medium and concentration to the number of Moina macrocopa (p<0.05). There were no results of of mineralized cow dung media. There were no results of Moina macrocopa in 15 g l and 20 g l of steamed cow dung media. Those media may be not favorable for growth of Moina. There were no results found in 15 min. boiled chicken manure and 30 min. boiled chicken manure media. The major reason for boiling chicken manure is to prevent the Salmonella effect. Low time duration for boiling might be not enough for destroy the undesirable pathogens. There may be not a favorable environment for growth of Moina macrocopa in both of those media.Item Development of garment leather from Yellowfin tuna (Thunnus albacares) skin(Uva Wellassa University of Sri Lanka, 2015) Eakanayake, E.M.B.S.; Jayamanne, S.C.; Wickramasinghe, W.Leather is defined as hide or skin with its original fibrous structure more or less intact, tanned to prevent putrefaction (Covington, 2009). Due to tanning, skins that have been processed to prevent putrefaction retain its characteristics such as flexibility and toughness. Hides and skins from cattle, buffalo, sheep, pig, goat, horse, crocodile, snake and fish are used for leather production. When considering the fish leather, fish skins are used for production of leather after tanning and re-tanning processes. Texture of fish leather depends on pocket size of the scales. Presently, carp, pacific salmon, bass, sturgeon, shark, tuna, catfish, salmon, tilapia and several other fish species are taken for leather production. Garment leather is tanned with chrome and treated with softeners. The quality of the garment leather should be thin enough to use on garments and it should feels softer and smoother than any other types of leather. These types of leathers are made from the top-grain of a hide. Good stitch tensile strength and light weight are some other characters of garment leathers. Cow hide and skins from deer, pig and lamb are commonly used for garment leather manufacturing. But there is a potential to develop garment leather from fish skin similar to other garment leathers. The present study was carried out to add value to waste generated during the Yellowfin tuna (Thunnus albacares) fish processing and promote a fish leather production in Sri Lanka through developing garment type leather using discarded skins. At present, hides and skins from cattle, buffalo, sheep and goat are used for leather production. In addition, fish species including carp, pacific salmon, shark, tuna, catfish and tilapia are taken for leather production in the world. The objectives of this study were to find out the best fat liquor percentage to obtain maximum softness of chrome-tanned Yellowfin tuna fish leather and to find out the best tanning method for garment leather production from Yellowfin tuna skin. Methodology The current study was carried out at the tannery of Ceylon Leather Product PLC (CLP), Mattakkuliya. Tuna skins were collected from the processing factory of Jay Sea Food (Pvt) Ltd in Ja-Ela. Two experiments were carried out to find out best fat liquor concentration and best tanning method. In experiment 1, yellowfin tuna skins were treated with 33% basic chromium sulphate and five different concentrations (12%, 14%, 16%, 18% and 20%) of fat liquors (on weight of pelt). In experiment 2, yellowfin tuna skins were treated with four different tanning methods (Full chrome tanning, full vegetable tanning and two types of semi chrome tanning methods - vegetable tanned skins directly tanned with chrome and vegetable tanned skins tanned with chrome after stripping with NaHCO3). Before initiating the experiments pre-trial was conducted to find out the optimum conditions for liming. Six pieces of raw skins were immersed in solutions of 0.25%, 0.5% and 1% Na2S, 6% Ca(OH)2 and 200% water (on weight of skins). One day after, skins were taken out and scales and flesh were removed. Then, skins were kept for another 5 days in a new 6% Ca(OH)2 solution. Weight and the physical conditions (scale pockets, colour and plumpness) of the skin were observed daily. After identifying the optimum conditions for liming 40 skins were subjected to 8 production process steps (liming, de-liming, pickling, tanning, basifying, fat-liquoring, fixing, drying and dying). Experiment 1 was done in fat-liquoring step and experiment 2 was done in tanning step. Then, the dried leathers were dyed and waxed. Finally softness, feel, tensile strength, tear strength and stitch tear strength were measured in developed leathers. Physical evaluation was done to check softness and feel by ten expertise. Tensile strength, tear strength and stitch tear strength were done using universal testing machine. This experiment was designed according to Complete Randomized Design (CRD). The collected data were analyzed using Friedman test and one-way ANOVA in MINITAB 16 and SPSS 22 statistical analyzing software to find out the significant difference between treatments. Mean separation was done using pairwise comparison.Item Development of micropropagation protocols for two aponogeton species of Sri Lanka (Aponogeton crispus and Aponogeton natans)(Uva Wellassa University of Sri Lanka, 2015) Amarawansha, T.W.G.J.C .; Bambaranda, B.V.A.S. M.; Jayamanne, S.C.; Herath, H.M.ISri Lanka being a tropical country contributes for a highly diversified flora and fauna. These climatic conditions have become a critical factor for the occurrence of highly diversified aquatic flora as well. Aponogeton is genus of aquatic plants which belongs to the family Aponogetonaceae. Methodology The study was carried out at tissue culture laboratory of Royal Botanic Gardens, Peradeniya. Mother plants were collected from different areas of Sri Lanka. Experiments were done to determine hormonal effect on shoot initiation and multiplication using rhizomes of Aponogeton crispus and A. jacobsenii; leaf and leaf stalks of A. natans and A. jacobsenii and seeds of A. crispus and A. natans. For the Sterilization of A. crispus and A. jacobsenii rhizomes were kept under running tap water for 3 hours and dipped in a fungicide for 30 minutes. Then disinfected using 20 % NaOCl (Clorox) with 2 drops of Tween twenty for 10 minutes and washed with 0.1 % HgCl2 for 7 minutes. Finally rhizomes were washed 5 times thoroughly with distilled water per 5 minutes. For seeds sterilization seeds were kept under running tap water for 10 minutes, disinfected using 5 % Clorox with 2 drops of Tween twenty for 15 minutes and washed 3 times with distilled water. Three sterilization procedures were carried out for leaves and leaf stalks. Firstly leaves kept under running tap water for 1 ½ hours and dipped in fungicide (topsin) for half an hour.Item Effect of growth regulators on in-vitro multiplication of Lagenandra ovata and Lagenandra lancifolia(Uva Wellassa University of Sri Lanka, 2015) Senavirathne, W. M. A.; Bambaranda, B. V. A. S. M.; Jayamanne, S.C.; Krishnarajah, S. A.Sri Lanka is a country which consists with number of endemic aquatic plants. These endemic aquatic plants are having high demand in aquatic plant industry (Galapitagedra, n.d.). Due to the lack of effective propagation methods plant collectors collect plant from wild to fulfill the market demand. It leads to the depletion of natural plant stock and bio diversity. Lagenandra species only can observe in Sri Lanka, Southern India and Bangladesh (Dassanayake et. al., 2001). In Sri Lanka there are seven species and six species are considered as endemic. Red List of International Union for the Conservation of Nature in 2013, categorized five of those endemic species under the highly threatened category. Main purpose of this study is to develop a proper method for micro propagation of Lagenandra ovata and Lagenandra lancifolia to overcome inadequate supply and depletion of natural plant stock. Present study was carried out to evaluate effect of different hormone concentrations in basal media for shoot initiation and multiplication of rhizome explants,to identify the best explant of L. lancifolia for micro propagation and to identify the best medium for L. ovata seed culture.Item Evaluation of the attitude and awareness of the international resolution on responsible fishing: a case study on the multiday fishermen of Matara(Uva Wellassa University of Sri Lanka, 2015) Dilini, K.L.N.; Wickramaratne, I.U.; Liyanage, N.P.P.; Gunawardane, N.D.P.E longitudes. This island has approximately 1700 km long coastline and sovereign power for the 21,500 km territorial sea and an Exclusive Economic zone (EEZ) of 517,000 km (MFAR, 2013). Therefore fisheries industry significantly contributes to the food security and the foreign exchange earnings of Sri Lanka. This IUU fishing is a serious threat to the sustainability of fisheries in both national jurisdictions and high seas. Therefore regional resolutions are implemented by the Indian Ocean Tuna Commission (IOTC) to reduce these IUU fishing activities. Although there are laws and regulations, many problems in the fisheries sector are caused due to lack of awareness of fishermen regarding these implemented national and international laws. Therefore identification of awareness of fishermen on these laws and regulations are very important before the implementation of awareness programs. This study was done with the objectives of investigating international resolutions which highly impact to Sri Lankan fisheries sector, investigate responses of fishermen on international resolutions, identify and suggest procedures which can improve the awareness and behaviors of fishermen on international resolutions. Keywords: Illegal Unreported Unregulated (IUU) fishing, Indian Ocean Tuna Commission (IOTC), International Resolutions Methodology Matara fisheries district was selected as the research area. The sample for the case study was selected from multiday boat owners, crew members, skippers and other service providers of Matara fisheries district through the Stratified random sampling. The sample size was determined using “Moving average method”. Data was collected from both primary and secondary sources. Primary data was collected from selected sample, through the questionnaire and interviews. The questionnaire was prepared using international resolutions which developed by the IOTC. Both open ended questions and closed ended questions were included in the questionnaire. Secondary data was collected from sources of Department of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources and IOTC web site. Collected data was analyzed using “Likert method” (Likert, 1932) and one way ANOVA (Analysis of Variance) at 95% significant interval. “Minitab 16” software was used for analyzing all the collected data. Results and Discussion The sample size was selected as 105. According to the finalized results of the study, total mean of awareness and attitude regarding these international resolutions is 3.38 ± 1.58. It means that the level of awareness and attitude of fishermen of Matara fisheries district on these international resolutions are medium. The statements used for the questionnaire have derived from the IOTC resolutions (IOTC, 2013). The current awareness of stakeholders on these international resolutions is helped to keep the Sri Lankan fishermen under the international resolutions. It helps to enhance the acceptance for Sri Lankan fish and fish products in the international market. Not only that but also the awareness on some resolutions are directly influenced on the management of fishery resources. The community has a high level of knowledge (3.67 ≤ Mean Likert scale ≥ 5.00) on the statements of importance of registration of fishing vessel, importance of having a flag in the fishing vessel, importance to mark vessels according to the regulations (Resolution 01/02 relating to control of fishing activities), importance of establishing a vessel monitoring program (Resolution 06/03), idea about prohibition of bottom trawling and crossing sea boundaries without proper permission, requirement of permission from the department for landing harvest at another country or for exchanging harvest with the foreign vessels at sea (Resolution 12/05 on establishing a program for transshipment by large scale fishing vessels), prohibition of catching endangered shark species and sea turtles (Resolution 12/09 on the conservation of Thresher sharks and Resolution 12/04 on the conservation of marine turtles) and preference of carrying equipment in the vessel which was used for catching sea birds and sea turtles. The registration of fishing vessel and vessel marking according to the regulations are already in place in the national regulations (1980). Therefore all of them have to comply with the registration of fishing vessel and marking them according to the regulations for having other subsidies and insurance. The awareness was medium (2.34 ≤ Mean Likert scale ≥ 3.66) on the statements of importance of maintaining a log book on board (Resolution 01/02), the requirement of providing information about harvest to the Department of Fisheries, willingness to support the government officers, agree to carry a department officer as an observer when they request, importance to inform navigation path for the department or harbor (Resolution 05/03 and Resolution 10/11). According to the attitude of some stakeholders, it is difficult to carry a department officer as an observer due to the limitation of space in the vessel and several other difficulties. The idea of some skippers was important to maintain a log book to have an idea in future regarding places and time of high densities of fish. It was considered as an additional trouble for their hard occupation by others. According to the responses of stakeholders, there are some people who unable to keep records on this log book due to inability of writing. The overall awareness was very low (1.00 ≤ Mean Likert scale ≥ 2.33) on the statements of international trade barriers which are occurred to Sri Lankan fisheries sector due to the ignorance of international resolutions, prohibition of large scale driftnets on the high seas in the IOTC area (Resolution 12/12), closed area (Resolution 12/13). With the high sea fishing operation license, printed material including the statements regarding the Resolution 12/12 has received by the boat owners. Therefore regarding the prohibition of large scale driftnets on the high seas, there was awareness among some people specially with the boat owners and skippers. But even the response of these people was not agreed with the idea. According to them, 2.5 km length gill nets are not enough to recover their fuel cost. The awareness of fishermen was very low regarding the closed area (Co- North, 40 - 60 East in the Indian Ocean during February month) for fishing (Resolution 12/13 for the conservation and management of Tropical Tunas stocks in the IOTC area of competence). Therefore the overall response for a closed area was seriously disagreed. But some of the stakeholders believe it is necessary to have a closed area for the sustainability of fishery resources.Item Induced breeding of Silver Dollar (Metynnis hypsauchen) using ovaprim(Uva Wellassa University of Sri Lanka, 2015) Kodisinghe, K.A.J.L.; Jayamanne, S.C.; Abeysinghe, A.H.M.S.S.K.Production of ornamental fish is a rapidly growing sector of the aquaculture industry (Tlusty, 2001). Among the ornamental fish production in Sri Lanka, exotic ornamental fishes have a significant demand in the market.Silver Dollar (Metynnishypsauchen) which was originated from South America is such kind of exotic ornamental fish in Sri Lanka that a higher demand has been achieved. Silver Dollar is not breeding very often in Sri Lankasince it takes a longer spawning period. To avoid that problem, the fish can be bred artificially. Among all the artificial breeding methods, induced breeding by hormone administration is the most reliable method (Yanong, et al., 2013). In this study attempts were made to develop induced breeding of Silver Dollar (Metynnis hypsauchen) in Sri Lankan environmentusing inducing hormone “Ovaprim”. Materials and method Sexually matured and healthy Silver Dollar brooders were selected based on the external features. Eighteen pairs in same age were randomly collected and conditioned. Then Ovaprim as a single dose and 0.6 mlkg of body weight was administered to the brooders. Natural spawningwas also allowed without inducing by Ovaprim as a control. After the hormonal injection, the best range of Ovaprim dose to have least response time and better breeding performance of Silver Dollar was determined based on response time (hours). Relative fecundity, post mortality rate of brooders and water quality parameters in experimental tanks were also monitored.Data analysis was done by one way ANOVA and Tukey test. Results and Discussion The effects of different doses on the breeding performance of Silver Dollar are shown in Table 1.Salmon gonadotropin releasing hormone analogue sGnRHa (Ovaprim) successfully induced spawning in Silver Dollar (Metynnis hypsauchen). Five different Ovaprim doses supported the spawning activity and the breeding performance was favored by lower and middle inclusion level of Ovaprim dose in the experiment. Ovaprim is a well-known commercial spawning aid which is mostly used in induced breeding of fish (Anonymous, 2012). It has been used in successful manner for several fish families (Hill et al., 2005). In the present study,all the brooders spawned, except the brooders which were injected with 0.6 mlItem A review of export trade of indigenous aquatic plants species in Sri Lanka and their conservation issues(Uva Wellassa University of Sri Lanka, 2015) Bandaranayake, R.D.C.; Bambaranda, B.V.A.M.S.; Jayamanne, S.C.; Niyarepola, R. D. A. M. G.Aquatic plants are adapted to aquatic environments and are required special adaptations for living submerged in water or at the water’s surface. In addition to various ecological and industrial values, most of aquatic plants are having ornamental value. Due to the ornamental value of the aquatic plants, they have a huge demand and are exported from Sri Lanka. Along with ornamental fish industry, aquatic plants are introduced and exported as a simultaneous industry. Present study was intended to analyze and evaluate the trade of ornamental aquatic plants in Sri Lanka with a particular focus on indigenous species. The objectives of the study are determine the exported species and their quantities, the actual foreign exchange earnings, identify the conservation issues related to indigenous species, identify the trends to occur irregularities in exportation procedure and propose suitable. Materials and Methods Exported aquatic plants species data and their quantities were extracted from the Customs Goods Declaration Forms (CusDec) submitted by the ornamental aquatic plants exporters to the Air Cargo Terminal in Katunayake under the Department of Sri Lanka Customs. The Customs Goods February 2014 were analyzed. A questionnaire was also used to gather information regarding the conservation issues through ornamental aquatic plants exporters, Custom officers at frontier and local villagers. Results and Discussion February in 2014, a total of 218 species of aquatic plants has been exported to 43 countries from Sri Lanka. Among the total, 176 species were indigenous, 1 species was endemic. When considering the total quantities of exported indigenous aquatic plants during the one year period, the most common species exported was the Dracaena sanderiana white (168185 individuals) and Lobelia cardinalis “small leaf”(4 individuals) was the species exported in least quantities. During the one year study period, 1504531 individuals of aquatic plants and 2047620 all types of live plants have been exported from Sri Lanka. When considering the proportions of species exported during one year period, the endemics consist of 0.04% (685individuals) and other indigenous species consisted of 80.91%(1217353individuals) among all other aquatic plants. The proportion of indigenous aquatic plants species consisted of 59.45% and endemics consisted of 0.03% among exported all types of live plants from Sri Lanka. And the proportion of exported aquatic plants to all live plants is 73.47% from Sri Lanka during my study period.Item Study of water quality changes and growth of cultured edible oysters (Crassostrea madrasensis), culture sites at Gagewadiya and Kandakuliya in Puttlam district(Uva Wellassa University of Sri Lanka, 2015) Wijayananda, H.I.; Rajapaksha, R.M.G.N.; Liyanage, N.P.P.; Kithsiri, H.M.P.; Corea, S.; Rupika, G.R.H.; Fernando, U.; Dejager, T.Global bivalve production from aquaculture has consistently increased over the years. Sri Lanka is a country which has vast natural resources and suitable environmental conditions for aquaculture. Therefore it has a great potential for develop and contribute to national fish and shellfish production. Although the bivalve industry is highly developed industry in East Asian region finfish and shellfish, specially mollusk and sea cucumbers cultures are at very initial stage in Sri Lanka (Samarasundera, 2010).Sustainable utilization of unexploited high demand finfish and shellfish species are a good alternative to develop the industry. Oysters are nutritious, still unexploited fishery resources in Sri Lanka. Which has good export demand worldwide. Although Sri Lanka have required resources naturally to uplift the industry in large scale, lack of information, limited supply of seeds and lack of trained personals are act as major constraints (FAO, 2006). The success of bivalve culture greatly depends on suitable environmental factors that ensure both optimal growth and quality as well as ensure food safety (FAO, 2006). Kandakuliya and Gagewadiya areas are blessed with natural oyster resources but which are not used commercial scale at present. Therefore the two locations have significant possibility to conduct oyster culture in large scale which providing self-employment opportunities for fisher communities. The study of water quality changes and growth of edible oysters (Crassostrea madrasensis) culture, sites at Gagewadiya and Kandakuliya in Puttlam district was carried out to investigate the possibility of establish these culture in commercial scale. Methodology The research project was conducted in two experimental sites (Gagewadiya and Kandakuliya), locates in Puttlam district, Sri Lanka. Field data were collected during October 2013 to July 2014from pre- establish two experimental culture sites. There were four sampling points in each site separately K1, K2,K3, K4in Kandakuliya and G1, G2, G3, G4in Gagewadiya. Water quality data, growth data and phytoplankton data were collected each site separately. Water quality and phytoplankton data were collected twice a month, and growth data were collected once a month during the studied period. Temperature, pH, salinity, transparency were recorded as onsite measurements. Further analysis were conducted for nitrite, nitrate, phosphate and ammonia using DR-4000U spectrophotometer according to standard procedures of Parsons et al., 1984. Unionized ammonia levels were calculated using total ammonia levels. Phytoplankton samples were collected using phytoplankton net (50 µm mesh size).The samples were examined under light microscope and identified to genus level using identification keys (Newell and Newell, 1963; Rebert, 2003; Swadling, 2008; Verlencar and Somshekar, 2004).Length (distance between the end of umbo and the ventral shell margin) and width (length at the widest axis of the body) were taken as growth parameters. Twenty five C. madrasensis organisms were used to take measurements from each site separately, for the growth study. Both primary and secondary data were used to analysis. Secondary data were taken from IDRC oyster research and culture programme. Minitab 16 statistical package was used to data analysis. All data were analyzed statistically using one way ANOVA (Turkey test) for all selected locations. Person product movement correlation coefficient analysis was done between water quality parameters and growth of oysters to find whether there were significant relationship between those variables.Item Toxicity effects of trace metals on Zebra fish (Danio rerio) embryo(Uva Wellassa University of Sri Lanka, 2015) Fasmina, M.F.A.; Jayamanne, S.C.; Liyanage, N.P.P.; De Silva, D.P.N.Water quality deterioration is a major problem in the most of the countries, due to organic and inorganic contaminants. Among all the toxicant trace metals are threaten to the aquatic ecosystem and organisms. Metals are natural component of aquatic ecosystem. Trace metals such as Copper (Cu), Zinc (Zn) and Chromium (Cr) are important for the metabolic and other biological activities of lives whereas Mercury (Hg), Lead (Pb), Cadmium(Cd) are biologically non-essential metal that can be toxic to biota even at very low concentration. High concentration of some essential trace metals can be toxic when it exceeds the limits(Ebrahimi and Taherianfard, 2011).High accumulation of trace metal in both biotic and abiotic components causes serious health consequences. Thus, assessment of their toxicity has become an important component of water pollution monitoring. Now in most of the toxicity studies Zebra fish (Danio rerio) embryo used as an alternative model for the fish acute toxicity to determine the toxicity of pollutants. Therefore this study was focused on determination of the acute toxicity of Cu, Zn, Cd, As, Pb and Hg that produce lethal effect on zebra fish embryos during four day period. Materials and Methodology Zebra fish breeding was carried out and eggs were collected using a small pipette. The stock solution of 1000 ppm of selected Cu, Zn, Pb, Cd, As and Hg were prepared a day before the test by dissolving Copper sulfate (CuSO4.5H2O), Zinc sulfate (ZnSO4. 7H2O), Lead nitrate (Pb(NO3)2, Arsenic pentoxide (As2O5), Cadmium chloride (CdCl2. ½ H2O) and Mercury chloride (HgCl2) in deionized water. The working treatment solution was prepared daily by serial dilution of the stock solution. Initially a range finding test was carried out in the nominal concentrations of (1000, 100, 10, 1 and ) for 96 hours. Ten eggs per concentrations were used. Deionized water was used as a negative control. Each treatment had three replicates. Acute Cu, Zn, Pb, As, Cd and Hg toxicity experiments were performed for a 4-day period using Danio rerio embryo. Ten test concentrations of Cu, Cd (0.025, 0.05, 0.1, 0.2, 0.4, 0.8, 1.6, 3.2, 6.4 and 10.0 mgL⁻ ), Zn, Pb, As (2.0, 4.0, 8.0, 16.0, 32.0,64.0, 125.0,250.0, 500.0 and 1000.0 mgL⁻ ) and Hg (0.002, 0.004, 0.008, 0.016, 0.032, 0.064, 0.125, 0.250, 0.500 and 1.0 mgL⁻ ) were prepared by diluting the stock solution in deionized water. Deionized water was used as negative control and as internal plate control. As a positive control concentration of 15% ethanol(Hassan et al., 2008) was used with each embryo batch for testing. Fertilized zebra fish embryos were immersed in the test solutions before cleavage, by the 16 cell- stage. At least twice the number of eggs needed per treatment group (40 eggs) was randomly selected and transferred into the respective concentrations and controls within the 90 minutes of post fertilization. 24-well plates were filled with 2 mL per well freshly prepared test solutions. In each plate twenty wells were used for test concentrations and four were used as internal plate control. Another plate was used as positive control. The eggs in standard 24- well plate were covered by shelf adhesive foil and maintain at a temperature to 26 ± 1 °C. The mortality of the fish eggs were recorded at 24, 48, 72 and 96 hours of exposure using a stereo microscope with the indicator of lethality; coagulation of fertilized egg, lack of somite formation, lack of detachment of the tail and lack of heart beat as described in OECD/ OCDE 236, 2013; guideline for the test of chemical, Fish Embryo Acute Toxicity (FET) tests. Dead eggs were removed immediately. Three replicates were performed individually. In this study the acute toxic effect of each metal on the Danio rerio embryo was determined by Probit Analysis LC50 determination method. Data analysis was performed by using statistical software SPSS15.