 Photo: Anupama Ganegoda  |
| Fishermen working in the shallow waters off Batticaloa in Sri Lanka complain that their catch has gone down with the arrival of multi-day fishing trawlers |
But of late, traditional fishermen who use boats powered by outboard motors or canoes to fish have complained of meagre harvests.
"I went out on five consecutive days, and only yesterday did I return with some fish, but only 6kg," said Tamil Chelvam, who operates a boat from Tirivendu beach, just south of Batticaloa.
Locals blame a recent influx of large fishing trawlers into their waters for their dwindling catches. Before the encroachment, a good catch would earn fishermen up to US$174, and a normal catch, about $85.
But now, after paying helpers and offsetting other expenses, including fuel, the small catches do not leave them with much, they say.
"They have big boats, big nets and they stay out at sea for days," S. Paskaran, who has been a fisherman for more than two decades, told IRIN. "The problem for us is that they catch in shallow waters and deep sea, but we can only go a certain distance."
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