The Ministry of Fisheries with the assistance of the Sri Lanka Navy dumped a considerable quantity of scrapped buses and fishing vessels into the sea three kilometres off the coast of Galle yesterday to improve the breeding of marine life.
State Minister of Ornamental Fish, Inland Fish and Prawn Farming, Fishery Harbour Development, Multi day Fishing Activities and Fish Exports Kanchana Wijesekera who was at the Galle harbour yesterday morning said that artificial reefs had been established off the Northern Coast a few weeks ago and the operation in Galle was the second phase of the project. The project was beneficial in many ways because the scrap and debris that cluttered most fishery harbours and vehicle graveyards of the Transport Board and Railway would act as breeding grounds for marine life.
Wijesekera added that in addition to the breeding of marine life the reefs will be a boon to tourism and also prevent illegal bottom trawling.