"We need to know the current status of the marine fisheries around the island in order to develop the fishery sector further," National Aquatic Resources Research and Development Agency (NARA) chairman S G Samarasundara told Sri Lanka Business Online.
Sri Lanka last surveyed its fisheries in the 1970s.
In 2012, the marine catch was 417,000 metric tonnes, up 8.3 percent from the 385,000 tonnes in 2011, data from the Central Bank showed.
Aquaculture and inland fisheries had produced another and 69,000 metric tonnes, up from 60,000 in 2011.
The industry is mostly focused around coastal and off-shore fisheries.
In 2012, the offshore fishery catch had declined two per cent to 159,680 metric tonnes, and coastal fisheries were the biggest segment contributing more than 50 per cent of the total.
