Our Resources:

B.K.Kolita Kamal Jinadasa,

Research Officer,
Post Harvest Technology
Division,
NARA

Land area 65,610 Km2

Sea area 517,000 Km2 (Land area

x 8)
Territorial 21,500Km2
water
Continental 30,000 Km2
shelf area

Brackish water 158,016 ha

area

Freshwater 260,000 ha
area
Coastal line 1,620 Km

Number of 103
rivers
Collective 460 Km
length of rivers

Contribution 1.5%
GDP - 2007

Donation to GDP- Top 10

Our Export & Import (2007)
Countries
Capture fisheries GDP contribution Aquaculture GDP contribution Export Import
% % Type Quantity Value (Rs. Type Quantity Value (Rs.
Kiribathee 36.17 Laos 6.33 (MT) Million) (MT) Million)
Marshal Islands 24.77 Vietnam 5.17 Prawns 2023 2487 Maldives 3651 651
fish
Maldives 19.31 Bangladesh 2.34
Wanatu 18.89 China 2.10 Lobster 184 352 Dried fish 48092 5602

Solaman Islands 11.05 Myanmar 1.24 Crabs 1151 575 Canned 23105 3740
fish
Kamboj 7.88 Thailand 1.02 Beach-De- 208 445 Fresh fish 10846 1815
Mar
Pillipines 2.22 Indonesia 0.84
Chank & 564 906 Other 462 153
Tango 2.15 Philippines 0.77
cells fishery
Indonesia 1.84 India 0.44 products
Bangladesh 1.76 Nepal 0.39 Shark fins 67 145
Myanmar 1.72 New Zealand 0.32
Mollusks 713 127
Sri Lanka 1.28 Sri Lanka 0.19
Fish 15473 13567
Source: status and potential fisheries & aquaculture in Asia & Pacific - FAO
 Common fishing gear…
• 1. Net
– Gill net
– Trawl
– Purse seine
– Beach seine
• 2. Line
– Trolling
– Pole & line
– Long line

Beach seine
 Pole & Line

For more information…….

Or U can go to:
Important Marine fish www.fishbase.org
species

Yellow fin tuna- Kelawalla, Kenda, Skip jack tuna- Balaya

Kahawaral kelawalla ‰ Scientific Name: Katsuwonus pelamis
‰ English Name : Skipjack tuna
‰ Scientific Name: Thunnus albacares
‰ Body without scales except for the corselet and the
‰ English Name : Yellow fin tuna lateral line.
‰ The back is dark purplish blue, lower sides and belly
‰ Fish with very long second dorsal fin and anal fin, silvery, with 4 to six very conspicuous longitudinal dark
which in some may reach well over 20% of the FL. bands which in live specimens may appear as
continuous lines of dark blotches.
‰ Color is black metallic dark blue changing through
yellow to silver on the belly. ‰ Importance: fisheries, highly commercial.
‰ The belly frequently has about 20 broken, nearly
vertical lines.
‰ The dorsal and anal fins and fin lets are bright
yellow.
‰ Importance: Fisheries: highly commercial.
 Kawakawa – Atawalla,
Ragoduwa
• Family: Scombridae (Mackerels, tunas, bonitos).
• Common names: Ragoduva,Atavalla, Sureya.
• Max. size: 100.0 cm FL.
• Max. published weight: 14.0 kg.
• Posterior portion of the back with a pattern of broken
oblique stripes.
• Importance: fisheries: highly commercial.
Skip jack tuna- Balaya
‰ Scientific Name: Katsuwonus pelamis
‰ English Name : Skipjack tuna
‰ Body without scales except for the corselet and the
lateral line.
‰ The back is dark purplish blue, lower sides and belly
silvery, with 4 to six very conspicuous longitudinal
dark bands which in live specimens may appear as
continuous lines of dark blotches.
‰ Importance: fisheries, highly commercial.

Sail fish- Thalapatha Sward fish - Kadukoppara

• Blackish-brown fading to light-brown
• Scientific Name: Istiophorus platypterus
below.
• English Name : Indo- Pacific sail fish • 1st dorsal fin with blackish-brown
• Upper jaw like spear. membrane, other fins brown or blackish-
• Sail-like first dorsal fin. brown .
• Vertically nearly 20 Light blue dot lines in the
• A long, flat, sword-like bill and no pelvic
body.
fins.
| Importance: fisheries: commercial.
• Global Importance: Fisheries:
commercial.

Black Marlin – Kalu koppara,

What is fish?
Sappara Classification
Fish are generally defined as aquatic vertebrates that use gills to
• upper jaw produced into a robust but obtain oxygen from water and have fins with variable number of
skeletal elements called fin rays (Thurman and Webber, 1984).
not very long beak; two dorsal fins
Five vertebrate classes have species which could be called fish, but
• 1st dorsal fin blackish to dark blue, only two of these groups - the sharks and rays, and the bony fish - are
generally important and widely distributed in the aquatic environment
other fins dark brown with tinges of dark
Biological Technological
blue in some specimens. Anterior part Scientific grouping
characteristics characteristics
Examples

of dorsal fin shorter than body depth Cyclostomes jawless fish lampreys, slime-eels

• Importance: fisheries: commercial Chondrichthyes cartilaginous fish

high urea content in
sharks, skate, rays
muscle

fatty fish (store lipids in herring, mackerel,

Teleostei or bony fish pelagic fish
body tissue) sardine tuna, sprat

lean (white) fish (store cod, haddock, hake

demersal fish
lipids in liver only) grouper, seabass
• It is important for the food processor, the nutrionist
and the consumers to know the composition of
Marine fish Vs. Freshwater fish
particular food so to help each of them answer
Moisture % Ash% Lipid% Protein%
question that they may have.
Halmessa 78.4 3.8 1.2 15.2
• The normal variations in the principle constituents
in fish muscles are; Hendella 78.4 3.3 1.3 15.9

– 16%-21% protein. Salaya 73.3 4.5 1.8 17.5

– 0.2%-25% fat. Hurulla 74.3 2.7 1.4 17.4
– Less than 0.5% carbohydrate. Linna 72.1 3.1 3.3 10.1
– 1.2%-1.5% ash. Tuna 71 _ 4.1 25.2

– 66%-81% moisture. Carp 81.6 _ 2.1 16.0

Eel 65.5 _ 19.5 14.4

Omega - 3 Total long chain Omega-3 content of some

€ They are essential nutrients just like the vitamins and common foods
minerals as our body cannot make them and they play Sea foods mg/100g Other foods mg/100g
many critical roles. Omega-3s are a type of King salmon >2000 Eggs regular 80
polyunsaturated fat. Green shell 950 Turkey 30
/lipped
€ The Omega-3 (called ALA) found in plant sourced foods mussels
Hoki (Blue 410 Beef 20
such as canola oil, linseeds and walnuts needs to be grenadier)
converted by the body to the long chain Omega-3s to be Gem fish 400 Milk regular 0
used effectively. Blue eye cod 310 Vegetable oils & spreads 0
€ Unfortunately this conversion is very inefficient so it is Sydney rock 300 Regular bread 0
desirable to include long chain Omega-3s in the diet as oysters
well. These are found in oily fish, other fish and seafood Tuna canned 230 Cereals, rice, pasta, etc 0
and to a lesser extent in meats and eggs. Foods Snapper 220 Fruit 0
enriched with long chain Omega-3s are beginning to Barramundi 100 Vegetables 0
appear in supermarkets. saltwater
Giant tiger 100
€ Supplements of fish oil are rich in long chain Omega-3s. prawn

On boat Handling: • 2. Stunning or brain spiking-

– Stun the fish with a sharp blow to the head
1. Land fish gently & quickly using club or mallet. Stunning makes fish easier
to handle & prevents brushing and internal
handle fish gently to reduce brushing &
bleeding.
internal bleeding, avoid gaffing if possible,
if use gaff, place it in the head of fish.
but in our practice……..
• 3. Bleeding & eviscerate: • 4. Chill and pack (normally putting 15 min) &
– Bleed fish by cutting throat to server the transfer to the storage place
artery between gills & heart. Gut the fish after • 5. Quick landing
bleeding (not possible in small species)

Chilling, Icing & freezing Types of ICE

• Flake ice:
• Chilling is the process of cooling fish or fish products to a – Made by the “free-flow” technique resulting in thin layers of ice at sub-
temperature approaching that of melting ice. zero temperature.
• Methods of Chilling: – Gives good ice-fish contact because of its large surface area.
Flake ice – Tends to form clumps, making it impractical.
– Melts very rapidly.
Block ice and crushed block ice
– Useful for cooling a product down quickly.
Tube ice • Tube ice:
Ice slurry – Cut from long, hollow tubes of ice formed inside refrigerated pipes of
Liquid ice small diameter.
– The cylindrical shape is not practical for icing.
Chilled seawater
– Lasts longer and melts more evenly than other shaped ice.
Refrigerated seawater – Useful for transporting fish in uninsulated containers.
Dry or gel ice – More likely to bruise fish because of its large size.

• Crushed ice: • Liquid ice:

– Has sharp edges and irregular sizes. – Very small ice particles form in salt water/sea water.
– Causes bad indentations on the fish body. – Very good cooling properties.
– Effects poor heat transfer due to air pockets. – Not as good for keeping cool unless drained.
– If used, individual piece should not be larger than 2.5 cm.
• Chilled seawater (CSW):
• Block ice: – Seawater & ice mixed in a container or hold (ice : seawater= 2:1 ratio);
– Usually are large and heavy. • Agitated by blowing air up through the mixture.
– Must be crushed into smaller pieces. – Good for quick cooling.
– Salt uptake can be problem in fish is in CSW for long time.

• Ice slurry:
– Flake or block ice crushed to small ice particles and mixed with • Refrigerated seawater (RSW)
seawater or water. – Seawater cooled by mechanical means, seawater is circulated from fish
– Good for cooling. container/hold, through a refrigerating unit and back to the
container/hold.
– Not as good for keeping cool unless drained
• Stagnant blood water. – Maintain temperature -1 to -5 C. (seawater : freshwater = 80-90% : 10-
20%)
• Salt update
– Good for quick cooling.
 Chilling & Icing When use CSW or RSW for chilling fish, the fish should be put
in a mutton cloth sock to protect the skin from chaffing.

Flake Ice

Ice slurry
Immersion in ice for killing

Cooling rates in the center of cod -

comparison of flake ice and liquid ice
Slow Freezing Fast Freezing

Flake ice
Temp. (°C)

Liquid ice

Time (hours)

Air blast freezer

Type of freezer

• 1. Air blast freezer

– Blowing a continuous stream of cold air
over the fish
– Operating temperature -35 to 40 C
• 2. Contact or plate freezer
– Direct contact between the fish and Plate freezer
refrigerant surface.
– Operating temperature -45 C.
 Icing Vs Freezing
Amount of ice – cooling fish
100 kg of fatty fish at 25°C needs to be cooled to 0°C with ice

- 1 kg of ice can take up 80 kcal og heat when melting

- to cool 1 kg of fatty fish by 1°C 0,78kcal have to be removed

How much heat to remove?

100kg * 25 °C * 0,78 kcal/kg °C = 2610 kcal

How much ice will that melt?

2610 kcal / 80 [kcal/kg ice] = 32.6 kg of ice

OR ABOUT 1 KG ICE per 3 KG FISH

Video

RECOMMENDED DOMESTIC STORAGE TIMES Our Harbor practices…

Fish Refrigerator Freezer

White fish I -2 days 3 months

Oil-rich fish 1 -2 days up to 2 months

Smoked fish 2-3 days up to 3 months

Shellfish I -2 days I month

Cooked fish I -2 days 2 months

But, compare with others… Our fish market…………………

 Our regulation????
• Gazette No 1045/01 – 14th sep 1998.
• Fish stall:
– Should cover, easy to clean wall
– Flow should be easy to clean
– Toilet, towel, detergent
– Prevent the enter animals, vehicle
– Avoid smoking, eating,….

• Landing:
– Easy to clean
– Quickly landing
– Adequate icing

Identification of fresh fish

• Clear, bright eyes, not sunken

• Bright red gills
• Scales should not be missing and they should
be firmly attached to the skin
• Moist skin. Really fresh fish feels slightly
slippery
• Shiny skin with bright natural coloring
• Tail should be stiff and the flesh feel firm
• It should have a sea-fresh smell

Post harvest changes of fish Endogenous changes influencing fish quality

at post mortem.
• How to fish go bad,
– endogenous enzymes
• Rigor mortis.
– exogenous bacterial activity
– autolysis
• Autolysis.
• “freshness of fish” includes; • Pigment changes in skin, meat and gills.
– Enzymatic freshness:
• Lowering of freshness by autolytic action of fish
tissue enzyme.
– Bacterial freshness:
• Lowering of freshness by exogenous enzymes
secreted by bacteria.
 Rigor mortis Freshness indicators of fish
• Sensory evaluation/taste panel
• What is rigor mortis?
• Organoleptic test
– It is the stiffening of the muscles of an animal shortly
after death. – Eyes are bright and clear/cloudy, gills are pink &
fresh/ brown, skin is shiny/ slimy, flesh is firm/soft
• How does it occur? • Chemical analysis
– Rigor in fish usually start at the tail, and the muscles
harden gradually along the body towards the head • TVN, ATP, Histamine, Heavy metals (HG, Cd,
until the whole fish is quite stiff. Pb), chemical residues
– The fish remains rigid for a period which may vary • Microbiological analysis
from an hour or so to three days or more, and then
soften again. – Total plate count, Pathogenic bacteria
• Video Rigor mortis @ different temperature

Detoxification
Histamine

Presence of BA’s in Tuna fish storage at Histamine in one day and multi day boats

ambient temperature 2000

(BA’s in mg/kg and Time in Hours)

1800

1600

1400

1200 1 day (trip 2)

1 day (trip 3)
mg/kg

7 days (trip 5)
1000
8 days (trip 1)
9 days (trip 6)
800 15 days (trip 4)

600

400

200

0
Fish at Sea Fish at Harbour before washing Fish at Market
 Histamine Legislation
Effects of histamine
• A level less than 5mg/100g (50ppm)is safe
for consumption
• Maximum level of histamine have set at 10-
20mg/100g in many countries
• Levels above 50mg/100g is a hazard action
level, unsafe for consumption
• Different countries have set different levels
as regulatory limits

Thank you!