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From left: Industry and Commerce Minister Rishad Bathiudeen, Dr Abdul Basir Kunhimohammed (Director – INFOFISH) and Gerald Bassleer President of Ornamental Fish International.
As Sri Lanka’s ornamental fish (O-fish) exports surged by 41%, the country’s first ever Global O-Fish Confab will go live on 10 November, with globally-renowned industry leaders heading the two-day sessions in Colombo.
“We extend a warm welcome to Mr. Bassleer, President of Ornamental Fish International. It is also an honour for Sri Lanka to be the host for such a landmark event,” commented Industry and Commerce Minister Rishad Bathiudeen on 7 November.
Minister Bathiudeen, who is currently participating at Geneva’s UNIDO session, sending his congratulatory message, said: “Being a well-known island, Sri Lanka has a fishing tradition that goes back centuries and lately its fisheries sector, including ornamental fish, has been identified as an important part of the economy in terms of employment generation, food security and foreign exchange earnings. The Government will intervene in securing new technology, providing information and incentives to the medium and small scale ornamental fish entrepreneurs to penetrate the international market.
“It is recognised as a sector with high potential for foreign exchange through the export of both marine and freshwater fish and fishery products to the international market. We extend a warm welcome to Ornamental Fish International President Bassleer. It is also an honour for Sri Lanka to be the host of such a landmark event - the first Sri Lankan International Ornamental Fish Trade Conference 2014 (SLIOFT). We also welcome Malaysia’s INFOFISH Director Dr Abdul. “
INFOFISH is no stranger to Sri Lanka. In 2011 December, Minister Bathiudeen inaugurated the 26th sessions of the INFOFISH Governing Council held in Colombo.
The SLIOFT, held on 10-11 November in Colombo and co-organised by EDB, INFOFISH and the Ministry of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources, will feature a plenary session with three other sessions - ‘Ornamental Fish Production and Trade-Country Situation’, ‘Farming and Fish Health’ and ‘Trade and Conservation’ – along with a filed visit to a Lankan ornamental fishery farm located in Handapangoda. SLIOFT will also focus on recent advances in different sub-sectors like O-Fish farming, health etc. More than 300 local and international delegates are scheduled to take part.
Also joining in proceedings will be INFOFISH Director Dr. Abdul Basir Kunhimohammed as well as local stakeholders such as the Fisheries Ministry, National Aquaculture Development Authority of Sri Lanka (NAQDA) and National Aquatic Resources Agency (NARA).
Gerald Bassleer, PhD (President OFI) is a fish pathobiologist and has worked in the ornamental fish industry since 1977. He is an author of several books and other publications on ‘fish diseases’. He works on an international level as a professional trainer and consultant in the fish industry.
Since 2006, he has been the President OFI, representing the international industry of ornamental fish, plants and invertebrates. Netherlands-based Ornamental Fish International – a worldwide organisation representing wholesalers, importers, exporters, manufacturers, breeders and other members of the ornamental fish, water plant, food and aquatic equipment industries - organises Aquarama in Singapore and Interzoo in Germany, the industry’s two events.
Co-organiser INFOFISH, originally launched in 1981 as a project of the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations, is an Intergovernmental organisation providing marketing information and technical advisory services to the fishery industry of the Asia-Pacific region with headquarters in Malaysia. Fourteen countries including Sri Lanka are currently members of INFOFISH.
In 2013, Sri Lanka exported $10.7 million of ornamental fish, increasing by 41% from 2012’s exports. The US, UK, Germany, Japan and France were the top five importers from Sri Lanka in 2013.
