Parrotfish is a colorful species found in relatively shallow tropical oceans such as Sri Lankan seas. They belong to the Scaridae family and the Sri Lankan fishers call them “Giraw”.
Parrotfish normally grows to 3-4 inches in length at times exceeding the height of a human. Even though it is not commonly consumed in Sri Lanka, in certain countries it is widely consumed as fish. These fish are found in coral reefs, rocky coasts, and sea grass beds and they serve as a significant tourist attraction of Sri Lanka since many foreign tourists visit Sri Lanka to watch these fish.
Parrotfish is considered as an environmentally-friendly fish that causes significant bio-erosion. This species has been endangered due to the fishing and many parties related to fisheries, environmental and tourism organizations have made a request from Minister to prohibit Parrotfish fishing in Sri Lanka.
Thus the Ministry has taken into consideration the request for banning Parrotfish fishing and a discussion in this regard is to be held in line with the opening ceremony of the new prawn hatchery in Pambala, Chilaw by the Minister.