The Food and Agricultural Organization and Norway have designed a bow which can be retrofitted to Sri Lanka’s multi-day fishing boats to cut fuel use, and also launched cooling system to cut fish losses.
Sri Lanka multi-day fishing boats typically carry ice to cool fish. This practice compromises quality, leading to post-harvest losses.
This results in an average quality loss of 41.4 percent in the catch from Sri Lanka’s multi-day fisheries, according to the Fish Loss and Waste (FLW) Assessment conducted by FAO in 2022–2023.
To address this challenge, FAO has installed an advanced cooling system on a newly constructed multi-day fishing vessel to ensure fish are kept at optimal temperatures throughout the voyage.
“This technology strengthens the resilience of fishing operations, ensuring higher-quality fish products reach the market while reducing waste and spoilage,” FAO said in a statement.
Sri Lanka’s multi-day boats typically use between 8,000 and 11,000 liters of diesel a trip, costing operators 3 to 4 million rupees for a voyage. To minimize this, FAO provided technical expertise to install bulbous bow technology on the vessel.
“This innovation minimizes wave resistance, delivering a 13 percent reduction in fuel consumption. “This innovation not only helps offset the additional fuel required by the cooling system but also brings long-term economic benefits to boat owners,” the FAO said.
The cost of installing the bulbous bow to the first boat was one million rupees. FAO also sought to address the challenge faced by fishermen in securing fair prices for their catch by developing an AI-powered mobile app for them to assess the quality of their fish in real-time based on Yellowfin Tuna export standards.
“The app provides immediate feedback through a simple photo upload, giving fishermen the power to negotiate better prices.”