The Dying Tradition of Sri Lankan Stilt Fishing

At dawn, Sunil (left) and Anil Madushanka sit on stilts they both inherited from their fathers.

Big Fish, small fish - Sri Lanka´s stiltfishermen, Asia, South Asia, Sri Lanka, Ahangama; The stiltfishermen Sunil Nishanti (left) and Anil Madushanka are sitting on their stilts and wait for swarm fish that pass their stilts in the shallow water. Due to the impact of the 2004 Tsunami and the overfishing in the coastal waters there is less and less fish to catch.

Before sunrise, Sunil walks across coral and rocks in the bay of Ahangama on the way to his stilt.

For 30 kilometers along Sri Lanka’s southern coast, between the towns of Unawatuna and Weligama, fishermen such as Sunil Nishanti sit motionless on wooden stilts a few dozen meters from the shoreline.

The technique may be unique, but it is a fairly recent innovation, first adopted just after the Second World War when fishing spots on rocks and cliffs along the coast became too crowded. Men started fishing from the wrecks of boats and aircraft left behind by the war, then some of them moved to stilts erected at fixed locations, which they then passed on to their sons.

Anil Madushanka leaves his stilt without a big catch while his neighbour Kalu and his cousin Sunil still continue their work.

The practice is unlikely to last much longer other than as a tourist attraction. Local fisheries are in decline, particularly following permanent alterations to the shoreline brought about by the Indian Ocean tsunami of 2004. The returns from fishing, never good, are worsening, and few fisherman pass their stilts to their sons, instead renting them to other men who find it easier and more lucrative to pose for photographs.

For now, Sunil still earns his living from fishing. He and his family lost almost everything when the tsunami of 2004 flooded the bay where they lived. He declined a government offer to give him a new house on higher ground -– the bus 
commute would have been too expensive, and anyway, he wanted to live near the sea. For most of the year, he sells what he catches from his stilt. During the monsoon season, when fish tend to avoid shallow waters, he buys fish caught by trawlers and then resells them in his village. Other fishermen spend the period working as fruit and vegetable vendors or as seasonal agricultural workers.








Ahangama, Sri Lanka
Photographer: Florian Müller

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