Along the shores of Sri Lanka's coast and lagoons, fishermen can be seen casting and gathering nets full of their catch (traditionally made from coconut fibers, or more recently, nylon). This type of fishing is called beach seine and is one of the oldest styles of fishing in the country. It's community-based by nature; generations' worth of close-knit interactions and Indigenous knowledge have developed Sri Lanka's fishing industry into what it is today––nearly 3 million people are involved in fishing and aquaculture, supplying about half of the nation's animal protein intake). But amidst the familiarity of these age-old practices, new tensions and stresses are stirring amongst these fishers.
A perilous combination of climate change and inflation as the nation faces its worst economic crisis to date have been hitting these small-scale fishermen. It's a catch-22: they need to venture further out to catch enough fish to cover their costs, yet fuel prices are only getting prohibitively higher. Fewer younger men are turning to this work; this traditional livelihood that holds so much religious and cultural importance is at risk of permanent loss.
