The Faculty of Fisheries and Marine Sciences & Technology at university of Ruhuna is the only one of its kind within the whole University system of Sri Lanka administered through the University Grants Commission. Establishment of this Faculty is a historic event within the higher education system of Sri Lanka and also in the University of Ruhuna and this is the first step towards a major plan to establish a higher education institute for Fisheries and Marine Sciences & Technology. Sri Lanka being an island in the Indian Ocean, not much emphasis has been given in the past, for development of primary, secondary and tertiary education in the fields of Fisheries & Marine Sciences. Not much scientific explorations of the sea and about its living and nonliving resources, have been launched in the past by Sri Lankans, due to the scarcity of research institutes well equipped for such purposes and with qualified scientists with formal training to handle such important tasks. In order to sustainability utilize the fish resources and other marine resources, properly designed and far sighted research programs should be conducted, for which well-trained scientists in relevant fields are a prerequisite.
University of Ruhuna was able to introduce, this much needed Faculty of Fisheries and Marine Sciences & Technology,
to the system in Sri Lanka, primarily due to the hard-work of the dedicated staff of the Dept. of Fisheries Biology,
with the fullest cooperation from the Vice Chancellor, Professor Ranjith Senarathne. Location of the University of Ruhuna,
facing the Indian Ocean and in close proximity to two fishery harbors, viz. Dondra & Mirissa also supported this mission.
The Faculty was gazette in October, 2005; first batch of undergraduates commenced the BSc degree programe in Fisheries and Marine Sciences
on 9th of November 2006, after the ceremonial inauguration held on 8th November 2006. On this special occasion,
several persons were remembered and felicitated due to various reasons. First and the most important out of them is Professor Sena S. De Silva,
who was the founder Professor of Zoology at University of Ruhuna. He introduced Fisheries Science into the Zoology curriculum at
University of Ruhuna. His dedication to Fisheries Science research and education, enabled him to first establish a sub department of
Fisheries Biology under the Department of Zoology in 1986 and then a department of Fisheries Biology in the Faculty of Science in 1988.
Another person was remembered is Prof. Kapila Dahanayake. He is the first person to propose at a meeting of the Natural Resources Committee
of NSF that a Faculty or an Institute for Marine Sciences should be established at the University of Ruhua.
This was in response to a recommendation made by a former Minister for Science and Technology, Hon. Batty Werakoon,
to establish such an institution in Sri Lanka. This proposal was forwarded to the Senate and to the Council of the University of Ruhuna,
which responded positively and following members were appointed as Prof. R.H. Wijenayake, Prof. Ananda Gunathilake, Dr. N.P. Wijeyananda,
Prof. D. Athapaththu, Prof. M.P. De Silva, Dr. D.S. Jayakody, Dr. P. Gunaratne and Prof. P.R.T. Cumaranatunga.
The Dream of establishing a Faculty for Fisheries and Marine Sciences & Technology had Prof. P.R.T. Cumaranatunga wouldn’t have become a
reality, if not for the generous financial assistance, which is nearly Rupees 120 million given through Coastal Ecology and Marine Sciences
Programes of the SAREC and SIDA of Sweden, for capacity building in the Department of Fisheries Biology and for marine research activities.
Ceremonial Inauguration of the Faculty of Fisheries and Marine Sciences & Technology University of Ruhuna, held on 8th November 2006.
The Chief Guest was His Excellency Jerker Thunberg Ambassador for Sweden in Sri Lanka and the Guests of Honour was Prof. Kapila Dahanayake,
Senior Professor of Geology, university of Peradeniya and Prof. Olof Linden, Profesor of Marine environment Management,
World Maritime University, Sweden.
The initial stage of preparing the land for implementing the building project for administrative block of the
Faculty of Fisheries and Marine Sciences & Technology was coducted at several times in year 2010 and 2011.
The Dean of the Faculty Prof. T.P.D. Gamage, Heads of the Departments Dr. P.B.T.P. Kumara and Dr. R. A. Maithreepala,
academic and nonacademic staff members and the consultants of the building project inspected the land for initiating the
building project.
Foundation laying ceremony of the administrative block of the building project of Faculty of
Fisheries and Marine Sciences & Technology was held on 23rd July 2012.
Establishment of Department of “Limnology and Water Technology” by changing the name of Department of “Limnology”, 2016
The three stories building complex for the departments of Fisheries and Aquaculture,
Department of Limnology and Water Technology and Department of Oceanography and Marine Geology was declared
opened by the Vice chancellor University of Ruhuna, Senior Professor Gamini Senanayake on 23rd November, 2017.
The Faculty of Fisheries and Marine Sciences & Technology consists three academic departments, viz. Departments of Fisheries and Aquaculture, Department of Limnology and Water Technology & Department of Oceanography and Marine Geology. The Faculty offers Bachelor of Science Honours in Fisheries and Marine Sciences and Bachelor of Science Honours in Marine and Freshwater Sciences special degrees after successful completion of the four year program. Undergraduates, pursuing Bachelor of Science in Fisheries and Marine Sciences degree program will get the opportunity to specialize in Fisheries or Aquaculture. Undergraduates in the degree program of Marine and Freshwater Sciences get the opportunity to specialize in Oceanography and Marine Geology or Water Sciences and Technology.
OUR VISION
Vision of the Faculty is to be the center of excellence in Fisheries Science, Marine Science and Water Technology education and research in Sri Lanka.
OUR MISSION
Mission of the Faculty of Fisheries and Marine Sciences & Technology is to produce outstanding, internationally accredited graduates in the fields of Fisheries, Aquaculture, Limnology, Water Technology, Oceanography and Marine Geology.
GRADUATE PROFILE
Graduates of Faculty of Fisheries and Marine Sciences & Technology (FMST) are well equipped with Theoretical and Practical Knowledge to manage living and non-living resources in inland aquatic as well as marine environments, and possess attributes as depicted in the following chart.
FMST Graduate
1. Theoretical Knowledge of FMST graduate is thorough and intact as the backbone supporting their role in aquatic, mineral and fishery resources management.
Graduates who followed Marine and Freshwater Sciences Degree essentially have the ability to explore and understand marine and freshwater systems,
utilize the living and non-living resources in those environments sustainably, and mitigate natural and anthropogenic hazards related to those
environments.
Graduates who followed Fisheries and Marine Sciences Degree essentially have the ability to explore and understand fishery
resources both marine and freshwater, manage those resources minimizing conflicts with community and other stakeholders, and develop and manage aquaculture
systems assuring food security of the people.
2. Practical Knowledge turns theory into application, and is obtained through hands-on experience on scientific methods for environmental management.
Graduates who followed Marine and Freshwater Sciences Degree develop skills to measure quality status of marine and freshwater systems as well as the
ground water; analyse the risks associated with the quality deterioration; apply drinking water and waste water treatment methods; manage pipe-borne water
and irrigation water distribution; manage watersheds considering hydrological regimes and land use patterns; assess environmental impacts of anthropogenic
activities; conserve aquatic ecosystems and biodiversity; and explore biological and mineral resources in the marine and freshwater systems.
Graduates who followed Fisheries and Marine Sciences Degree develop skills to assess fishery resources in both marine and freshwater systems;
manage those resources minimizing conflicts with community and other stakeholders; conserve aquatic ecosystems and biodiversity; analyze genetic resources
of aquatic biota; develop and manage different aquaculture systems; assess the quality of aquatic food products; develop post-harvest techniques for aquatic
food products; and develop value added products from the fisheries and aquaculture harvest.
3. Information Usage and Management are essential skills they develop throughout the degree program which improve their analytical power and generate new knowledge by research.
4. They learn to complete the task in a Teamwork as well as to take Leadership in the team when necessary to reach their goal.
5. Communication Skills they acquire open the drain of their knowledge and experience to a wider and diverse community.
6. Creativity becomes an essential feature of their work, and Problem Solving attitude drives them over barriers of inland and marine environments seeking for better answers.
7. FMST graduates are well synchronised with their working environment and community as Networking and Social Skills are inherited in their degree program.
8. Managerial skills and Entrepreneurship they acquire well blended with theoretical and practical knowledge making them suitable for government and private sector employment as well as for the self-employment.
9. They reap good Attitudes, Values and Professionalism during their four-year journey. The result is well-bred, professionals to take managerial positions in different sectors of Natural Resource Management, and ultimately, responsible citizens.
10. Opportunities to work in harsh and diverse environments as well as in the industrial setup improve their Adaptability and Flexibility to be fit into any situation.
11. Once graduated, they know how to play the game without further classroom guidance as Updating Self/ Lifelong Learning has already become a part of them.
12. With a Vision for Life, they pass out, and always remain target oriented with well-balanced professional and personal lives.
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