By Uditha Jayasinghe

WARIYAPOLA, Sri Lanka (Reuters) -Nissanka Arachchige Vimukthi Sandaruwan beat more than 1,000 anglers to become champion of a unique competition to protect native fish from invasive giant snakehead fish in central Sri Lanka.

A native of southeast Asia, giant snakehead fish are considered an invasive species in many countries. Kept as pets they can cause massive ecological harm when released into rivers or dams.

Anglers from all over the south Asian island flocked to a dam on the Deduru Oya river, 130 km (80 miles) from the commercial capital Colombo, on Saturday to target the pest.

Curious spectators cheered on the participants while sampling pickles, fried snacks and ice cream along the dam’s tree-lined embankment.

Despite the turnout, giant snakeheads proved elu

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