🦀 Sri Lanka’s Blue Swimming Crab Fishery Achieves Landmark MSC Certification

Sri Lanka’s North-Western blue swimming crab fishery (Palk Bay and Gulf of Mannar) has officially earned Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) certification, becoming the country’s first fishery to achieve this global environmental sustainability standard. • Key Highlights & Sector Impact: • Follows a 10-year collaborative Fishery Improvement Project (FIP) launched in 2013 among fishers, seafood exporters, and the Dept. of Fisheries. • Science-based management measures include stock assessments, habitat protection, and a minimum purchasing size limit of 100g (≈117mm) to protect juvenile crabs. • Supports thousands of small-scale fishers in Jaffna and Mannar using traditional boats and bottom-set gillnets. • Boosts employment in coastal communities, particularly for thousands of women in labor-intensive crab processing facilities. • Market & Economic Value: • Connects Sri Lanka's seafood & fisheries exports directly to high-value markets across North America and Europe. • Enables Sri Lankan exporters (including Taprobane Seafoods and CM Blue Crab) to leverage the MSC ecolabel to meet demand from major global retailers, enhancing competitiveness in international markets.