At present, aquaculture of black tiger shrimp (Penaeus monodon) in the Puttalam district of Sri Lanka is unsustainable with more than 90% of the former shrimp ponds laying abandoned as a result of shrimp disease and improper management. Between 1992-1998, over 50% of the mangrove cover was removed in order to establish shrimp aquaculture. This severely affected the functioning of coastal ecosystems, reducing their provision of useful services and increasing coastal vulnerability to climate change. Changes in the hydrology and polluted residual matter make the soil unsuitable for other agricultural purposes without costly restoration. The root of the problem was inappropriate management and a focus on short term economic gains. Despite this previous failure, the national development plan, Mahinda Chinthana, now promotes aquaculture as an avenue for development. This will only be possible if aquaculture is regulated in a sustainable and well-managed manner, and does not increase local vulnerability to climate change effects. The current paper discusses the possible costs and benefits in applying the concept of Climate Compatible Development (CCD) to shrimp aquaculture in Puttalam, Sri Lanka. It suggests how the sector can support mitigation of Green House Gas (GHG) emissions and adaptation to climate change effects, whilst stimulating development that will also benefit rural societies. Mechanisms that could enable this change include subsidies, insurance and bank loans which will also facilitate investment by foreign private enterprises and subsequent export. The development of a specific aquaculture policy and master plan would facilitate the process further.

Marine shrimp fishery contributes around 55% to the small shrimp production Sri Lanka. In addition to the targeted large shrimp for the export market, small shrimp are marketed locally as value added dried products. This activity has been established as a cottage industry. Development of optimum control conditions of processing is very important for maintaining nutritional quality of the dried shrimp. Present study was conducted to evaluate the effect of different salt concentrations, cooking methods, drying time and drying temperature on sensory properties of processed whole and peeled shrimp with a view to develop improved processing methods. In addition, sensory properties, total volatile nitrogen (TVN) content, trimethylamine (TMA) content and total bacterial count (TBC) of the processed whole and peeled shrimp which had been stored under different packaging systems viz. polythene bags, Styrofoam boxes and open bulk packages were assessed weekly for six weeks to determine the shelf life of the processed shrimp. The results revealed that the whole shrimp salted at 5% (w/w), pressure cooked for 20 minutes, dried at 70 0 C for 2 hours and the peeled shrimp treated under the same conditions and cooked only for 10 minutes gave the best quality dried shrimp. TVN contents (in mg/100g) in whole dried shrimp packed in Styrofoam box, polythene bags and under bulk packages were 25, 34.5 and 39.5 respectively at the end of six weeks. TMA contents (in mg/100g) in whole dried shrimp stored in three types of packing systems mentioned above were 16.8, 21, and 26.3 respectively whereas TBC values (in cfu /g) for dried whole shrimp were 1.08 x 10 6 , 1.08 x 10 6 and 1.66x 10 6. TVN contents (in mg/100mg) in the peeled dried shrimp packed in Styrofoam box, polythene bags and under bulk packages were 27, 16.8, and 21 respectively whereas the TMN contents (in mg/100g) were 16.8, 15 and 25.2 at the end of the six weeks. TBC values (in cfu /g) of these processed peeled shrimp packed in Styrofoam, polythene and bulk packages were 5.88x 10 4 , 1.66x 10 5 and 3.33x 10 5 respectively. Styrofoam package was found to be the most effective packaging system for both processed whole and peeled dried shrimp.

Lipid levels and fatty acid profiles in the flesh of wild caught and cultured Penaeus monodon were analyzed using, gas chromatography. The mean percentage lipid level of cultured P. monodon (3.9% ± 0 2 dry weight) was not significantly higher than that of the wild caught P. monodon (3.7% ± 0.1). The fatty acid profiles of wild caught and cultured shrimp were found to be significantly different from each other. The predominant fatty acids found in the flesh of both groups were Palmitic acid (16:0), Stearic acid (18:0), Oleic acid (18: ln-9), Vaccenic acid (18: ln-7), Linoleic acid (18:2n­6), Arachidonic acid-Omega-6 (20:4n-6), Eicosapentaenoic acid-Omega-3 (20:5n-3), and Docosahexaenoic acid-Omega-3 (22:6n-3). Total saturated fatty acids (38.12% ± 1.59) and polyunsaturated fatty acids (18.31% ± 1.57) contents were not significantly different in wild caught and reared P. monodon while monounsaturated fatty acid levels (44.82% ± 1.41) were significantly higher in wild caught P. monodon. Palmitoleic (C16:1), Heptadecenoic (C17:1), Myristoleic (C14:1), Vaccenic (C18: 1n-7), Hexadecatetaenoic (C16:4n-3), Alpha linoleic Omega-3 (C18:23n-3), Stearidonic (C18:4n-3), Docosatetraenoic (C22:4n-6), Docosapentaenoic (C22:5n-6) and Arachidonic Omega-6 (20:4n-6) contents were significantly high in wild caught shrimp, while Linoleic Omega-6 (18:2n-6) and Docosahexaenoic Omega-3 (22:6n-3) were significantly high in cultured shrimp.

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Indian carps (Catla catla) are considered as an excellent source of protein, vitamins and minerals while they are low in saturated fat. However, carps have limited consumer acceptability due to the presence of intramuscular bones. Further, mangrove plants such as Rhizophora spp. are considered as valuable therapeutic agents in both modern and traditional medicines. The present study was focused on developing a value added product from C. catla by incorporating mature flower buds of R. apiculata (Mahakadol), which is a nutritional and medicinal supplement. Bread-spread was prepared by mixing boiled and minced fish with other ingredients and pasteurizing at 85 °C for 15 min. The suitable levels of ingredients were determined using 30 untrained panelists (p<0.05). The final levels included 89% (w/w) of C. catla, 6% (w/w) of mature flower buds of R. apiculata, 1% (w/w) chili, 1% (w/w) salt, 1.5% (w/w) white pepper and 1.5% (w/w) lime. Proximate analysis of the final product showed that moisture is at 72.50±0.03%, protein 20.82±1.49%, fat 2.81±0.02%, fiber 2.10±0.11% and ash 1.94±0.01% in the final product. The shelf life of the bread-spread did not change significantly within the storage period of 30 days under refrigerated condition (p>0.05), the total microbial plate counts were within the acceptable level for 28 days, and the coliform and Salmonella were absent. Therefore, the developed bread-spread can be considered as a healthy food having high nutrient and medicinal benefits and with a shelf life up to 28 days.

Acid sulphate soils are marginally acceptable soils for aquaculture and brown/black gill syndrome is one of the common problems associated with shrimp culture in acid sulphate soils. Unusually high concentrations of iron (up to 1588 μg g-1 dry wt) and manganese (up to 93.2 μg g-1 dry wt) were observed in Penaeus monodon cultured on acid sulphate soils in the west coast of Sri Lanka exhibiting concomitant colour changes in gills. A steady increase in iron and manganese levels was observed in gills of the cultured shrimp with culture time. Statistically significant differences were observed for levels of iron (p

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Beruwala fishery harbour is one of the main fish-landing sites in Kalutara district in the southwestern coast of Sri Lanka. Skipjack tuna (Katsuwanus pelamis) is one of the major constituents of the catch of multi-day boats (MDRs) operated from this harbour. The marine fish catch landed in this district in 2001 was around 32110 mt. Recent studies based on sensory evaluation have shown that the post harvest loss of skipjack tuna at Beruwala fishery harbour is around 27±115%. Main objective of this study was to investigate the quality deterioration of skipjack tuna at different handling stages along the main commercial distribution channel starting from MDBs operating from Beruwala fishery harbour to final retailing stage that ends up at Matugama and Horana and to suggest remedial measures to reduce the quality deterioration along the handling chain. Mean Aerobic Plate Count (APC) of skinned fish from MDBs and pier were log 5.20±1.10 cfu/g and log 5.35±1.20 cfu/g respectively. APC of fish from transport vehicle, fish stall and retailed stage along Matugama channel were log 6.16±0.94 cfu/g, log 7.08±0.96 cfu/g and log 6.96±0.46 cfu/g respectively. In Horana distribution channel mean APC were log 5.14±0.71 cfu/g, log 6.13±t0.49 cfu/g and log 6.40±0.15 cfu/g in fish from vehicle, stall and retailed stage respectively. E.cail were positive (>10 cfu) in 17%, 43%, 50%, 87% and 100% of flesh (skinned) samples of skipjack tuna in MDB, at pier, in transport vehicle, at stall and retailed stage respectively. E.coli were found in skin-on samples from all stages and the range detected was 102-103cfu/g. The average ambient temperature recorded on board of the MDB during fishing trip was 29.8°C with a variation of ± 3.7°C. Core temperature of fish stored in fish hold in MDB, at pier, inside transport vehicle and stall in market were 2.7±2.1°C, 6.3±4.1 °C, 13.0±2.5°C and 17.0±2.4°C respectively. Fish is stored in fish hold of the MDB for about 7 days and after unloading, fish reaches retail shop within around 5 h. Based on criteria for levels of APC, six out of nine lots of fish were acceptable, in MDB, at pier and in vehicle. At retail stalls only three out of nine fish lots were acceptable. Average trimethyl amine (TMA) and total volatile base (TVB) contents of fish in all stages were found in the ranges of 7.67-11.89 mg/100g and 13.65-26.92 mg/100g respectively. Poor infrastructure and bad handling practices in boat, pier, transport vehicle, retail markets are found to be responsible for quality deterioration along distribution channel, which results in poor quality of fish available for consumers.