Officers attached to the Biodiversity, Cultural and National Heritage Protection Division (BCNP) intercepted an attempt to export a consignment of live lobsters to Hong Kong without a valid license issued for the exportation by the Department of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources at Air Cargo Village, Katunayaka on 10.02.2012. The consignment included 999 live lobsters in 26 boxes weighing 486 Kg with a declared value of Rs 394,201.80. As per the information revealed at the Customs inquiry, about one third of the shipment contained lobsters which were less than the permitted size for exportation. Further, there were egg bearing live lobsters that are prohibited from exporting. As the said shipment violated the Customs Ordinance read with Lobster Fisheries Management regulations issued under Fisheries and Aquatic Resources Act, the live lobsters were relaeased to the sea at the Port of Colombo. Further, the exporter was imposed a penalty of Rs.100,000.00.
