Fishing and the Villages of Southern Sri Lanka: A Case Study Facts Fishing has been a mainstay industry in Sri Lanka for centuries, but it has been ravaged with political, economic, environmental disasters and social issues over the past century (Olstrom, 1990, Yamada, et al., 2006, Arunatilake et al., 2014). In the southern tip of Sri Lanka, lies the fishing village of Mawelle (Ostrom, 1990, p. 149). Southern Sri Lanka’s fishermen fish with beach seines (called madella or “big net”) that are half-mile long nets and were a source of economic stability for the individuals living in the region (Ostrom, 1990, p. 149). During the early part of the 1900’s, the fishers in Mawelle devised elaborate rules regulating access to the fishing region and the number of nets utilized but they were not able to sustain a structured policy and rules controlling the number of nets to be used (Ostrom, 1990). With construction of new roads, an increase of population, and the increasing prices for fish by 1945, 71 nets were in use (Ostrom, 1990). With the expansive growth, the economic benefits diminished throughout Southern Sri Lanka and political corruption emerged, and policies were not enforced. Additionally, centralized government took over policy creation and enforcement that did not include local representation that had been in place since the early 1900’s (Ostrom, 1990). This solution was highly ineffective in controlling the entry of new fishers, which drove the system to a situation of virtual collapse where, at some point, more than 100 nets were being deployed at extremely low levels of productivity (Ostrom, 1990). Sri Lanka has also experienced a series of socio-political disturbances over the past several decades including... ... middle of paper ... ...itionally, the government as part of the rebuilding efforts that have been taking place should invest in infrastructure, speeding up implementation of plans for a regional airport, highways, and harbors that would offer much needed benefits to fishermen working along the southern coast Arunatilake, et al., 2014, p. 29). Resources Arunatilake, M., Gunawandena, A., Marawila, D., Samaratunga, P., Semaratne, A., & Thibbotuwawa, M. Analysis of the Fisheries Sector in Sri Lanka. Institute of Policy Studies of Sri Lanka (IPS). Retrieved February 10, 2014, from http://www.ips.lk/ Ostrom (1990). Governing the Commons: The Evolution of Institutions for Collective Action. Cambridge University Press. Yamada G., Gunatilake R, P., Imur, R, M., Gunatilake, S., Fernando, T., Fernando, L. The Sri Lanka Tsunami Experience. Disaster Management and Response. 2006; 4:38–48.
Larabee, John, and Richard Price. "Tide of Troubles has Fish Industry Reeling/ Crisis Caused by Pollution, Development, Over-Fishing." USA Today 10 Mar. 1994: 9A
Due to the demand many packaging for the fish can find its was back to sea, or when fishermen are out at sea they can leave their garbage. Many nets from the boats and gears can also be found in the water, that fish can later see as food, eat it, and die; this ties back to extinction in fish. There is much pollution and decline stocks in fish because it is very hard to regulate the seas. To fulfill the growing demand for seafood, many companies are forced to fish beyond areas that are supposed to be non-fishing zones. This is because there are hardly any laws or restrictions telling them where they can and cannot fish. Sally Driscoll and Tom Warhol report in, ‘Overfishing’, that itt wasn’t until 1956 where we saw our first regulation, the United Nations organized the first UN Convention of the Law of the Sea or the NCLOS which helped promote rights of all countries by establishing boundaries off shore. Meaning that some seafood fished in certain areas of the ocean cannot be sold in certain countries, and in some areas it is illegal to fish unless you have a permit from that country. Economy also helps make it harder to regulate the seas, in ‘Overfishing’ it is explained that Preisdent Barack Obama brought up Antiquities Act of 1906, that let fishermen expand their fishing areas. The United Nations FAO estimates that 25 percent of all fish trapped in nets are labeled unusable or not licensed for fishing by the
Generation after generation gathered food off the land, people are continuing to practice this in our modern world today. Societies expressly continue to gather their own food as it provides an inexpensive, delightful tasting meal. One of the techniques of our historical past that is still in use today, that has been used for generation after generation is “netting” fish. Netting is a classic technique that has not faced as many revisions to its practice. It persists from one generation to the next due to the fact, that many do not understand it to be harmful to the environment; others may enjoy the idea of letting commercial fisheries catch large numbers of fish as it continues to keep some of Americans favorite meals low cost. Devastating fall out from neglectful thinking about netting will occur in the future if preservative action toward this way of life is not taken. Minimizing the use of nets in waterways will ensure salmon and other fish survive for many more generations to come, allowing this plentiful food source given to us by Mother Nature to be exploited and enjoyed by our future kin. With food sources now readily available, fishing with nets should be reevaluated as follows; who is allowed to fish with nets, what are their purposes, and how will this effect tributary fishing populations.
Overfishing refers to an act of fishing more than what the population can replace through normal reproduction (WWF, 2016). This was led by international government efforts to increase fishing capacity in the mid-20th century, which then led to the increase in availability and affordability of protein-rich foods. With this, profitable commercial fleets became aggressive, scouring the world’s oceans and developing sophisticated technologies to find and catch their targeted species. Thus, with a wide selection of fish species available at affordable prices, customers soon became used to them (Geographic, 2016).
Since nearly the beginning of human history fishing has been an integral part of the culture and survival of coastal communities. These coastal communities and cities have always been some of the most prosperous and successful because of the added resource of the ocean. In the beginning many areas were so densely populated with fish and shellfish that often a day’s worth of food could be caught by simply wading into the shallows. For example, some of the first English settlers to see the Chesapeake Bay described “The abundance of oysters is incredible. There are whole banks of them so that the ships must avoid them. . . . They surpass those in England by far in size, indeed, they are four times as large. I often cut them in two, before I could put them into my mouth” (Miller). This abundance had every appearance of being as infinite as the ocean that produced it but the reality was far different. Many fish stocks, including the oyster, stayed near these high levels even into the beginning of the industrial era. However the new rapid pace of technological advancement proved too much for many stocks to handle. Close shore stocks took most damage as they were the easiest to exploit. Those same oyster colonies that were once an obstacle for boats were nearly eradicated by “the 1890s harvests began to decline. Many oyster beds were destroyed and reefs had been mined away. By the 1920s, the boom was over…” (Miller). While catastrophes like this inspired many sustainable practices there are still fisheries worldwide that are headed for a similar end. Through ignorance and misinformation from the fishing industry most of the general public does not know that this is occurring. The following will serve to inform about the t...
Ostrom, Elinor. 1990. Governing the Commons: The Evolution of Institutions for Collective Action. New York, NY: Cambridge University Press.
“Ocean overfishing is simply the taking of wildlife from the sea at rates too high for fished species to replace themselves. The earliest overfishing occurred in the early 1800s when humans, seeking blubber for lamp oil, decimated the whale population.” (overfishing) By the mid 1900’s common fish such as Atlantic Cod, Herring, and California Sardines were on the brink of extinction due to overharvesting. In the 20th century international efforts were focused on harvesting vitamin rich food at an affordable price. Therefore an international rise in fish occurred. In 1989 90 million tons of fish and various bycatch were taken from the ocean. Since 1989 fish populations have not been able to rebound therefore harming the environment, and the economy. A scientific study in 2003 reported “industrial fishing had reduced the number of large ocean fish to just 10 percent of their pre-industrial population.” (overfishing) With the collapse of these once large fish populations fishermen have started to fish in deeper waters. With commercial fleets fishing deeper into the ocean the balance of the oceans biological system is beginning to become upset. A 2006 study reporte...
This is a major problem that the reef ecosystem faces (Bellwood, Hughes, Folke, & Nyström, 2004). This is no more apparent than in Thailand 's gulf, were the fishing industry is producing about 2, 3 million tons of fish and shellfish in 2007 (FAO
...makes the issue of overfishing one that needs immediate attention. It seems that government action is the only means of solving overfishing. Although the fishing industry will be initially resistant to increased regulations, in the end the entire industry can end up better off. Although this is a global issue, it is more relevant in the Mediterranean than many other regions. If issues aren’t resolved now consumers of the Mediterranean diet will undoubtedly face increased food prices and therefore other cascading negative repercussions. A utilitarian approach is the only means of achieving true progress. Bearing the initial burden of a decrease in the supply of fish will not only save the oceans’ fish from devastation but also produce lasting benefits for both consumers and suppliers of fish. If serious initiative is not taken soon, the damage will be irreversible.
Throughout Canada’s economy, many industries factor how Canada makes money such as the mining industry, oil and natural gas industry, forest industry and even the agricultural industry. Although the most quick and deadly decline in an industry occurred the fishing industry. The fishing industry happened along east and west coastal areas where Atlantic cod or salmon were abundantly found while today the population of salmon is almost extinct and the moratorium in NL stands to protect fish in Canada. Today hardly any fish are able to reproduce themselves in the coastal seas where fishes were abundant about 30 years ago. The dramatic collapse of the fish population was of the regarding reasons the use of modern technology, mismanagement of the government and overfishing. To begin, fishing was done on a renewable basis by waiting until the fish were migrating and selected the fish they wanted. However, today both coasts of Canada’s fishery does not exist mainly due to the fact, after the 1950’s the new use of technology such as violent new boats with radar that have a electronic navigation systems and sonar allowed fisherman to follow the fish to their homes even in winter. This caused fisherman to fish year round, day and night, even in ice to the homes of fish. In addition, the use of huge nets also swept up many non-commercial species or commercial fish so young that they should have been left in the ocean to reproduce. In addition, one-third of the fish caught was actually taken to the market to sell while the rest were dumped (killed). The use of technology killed more fishes than any other centuries of fishing. The use of modern technology was not monitored thus killing more fish. With thousands of fish commercial or not the...
“The world’s smallest porpoise is slipping closer to extinction…” (Malkin). This porpoise is called a vaquita, and they are being run into extinction because of drift nets set for their larger cousin, called the totoaba. But, this isn’t just happening with these species, it is happening to many species all over the world. A drift net is a large net that is placed underwater for catching fish. Taking all of these fish out of the world’s oceans does not have a positive impact on the ecosystem. Michael Pollan, author of The Omnivore’s Dilemma, talked about destroying the ecosystem through farming (162), but he didn’t mention how it can also happen through fishing Fishermen should stop using drift nets to collect fish because they can catch the
Trawling is one of the most popular methods of fishing. It is extremely helpful in catching lots of fish, but it is also extremely helpful in causing lots of damage. One study from the Proceedings Of The National Academy Of Sciences, states that it “removes a layer of sediment, which over time leaves the fishing area completely infertile.” I’m not trying to find fault on fisherman here. In fact, the UN states that “Fishing is central to the livelihood and food security of 200 million people.” And many people living in coastal communities depend on fish as a primary source of protein and
Illegal, unregulated and unreported fishing, or pirate fishing, is a huge threat to the marine environment, it's bio diversity in food development is dependent on it. Losses due to pirate fishing are estimated to be between 10-23.5 billion U.S. dollars per year. Representing 11-26 million tons of fish. West African waters are estimated to have the highest levels of pirate fishing in the world. Fish is a crucial source of protein for millions of people. Fishing is the major coastal employment along the coast's. During a dramatic two year investigation, the Environmental Justice Foundation (EJF) has documented mass amounts of pirate fishing on the West Coast of Africa. Pirate fishermen are literally out of control. They are fishing in protected areas, destroying local fishermens nets and sabotaging them, hiding their names, and shipping their catch illegally at sea. They evade arrest, attack local fishermen, and abusing their own crews. The catches of these pirates have been entering the EU. the worlds largest import market for seafood. This is despite a new EU regulation. The regulation requires all fish imported into Europe to be accompanied by a catch certificate that asks for name, address, validating authority, fishing vessel name, license, and homeport. This is all declares that the catches have been declared legal.y 90% of the vessels documented by EJF fishing illegally are bottom trawlers. Bottom trawlers are are vessels that drag heavy nets across the sea bed catching all marine life in their path. Up to 75% of call the catches made on these vessels are dumped back into the sea, dead or dying. Fish is the principal source of protein for 2.9 billion people. But the United Nations recognizes 80% of the world's fisheries are e...
Fishing has been used for ages for many things like food, sport, and just for amusement of the chase; because of this, many different techniques have been developed from the centuries fishing been constructed. Also fishing can be a purpose for life just like what Henry David Thoreau said “Many men go fishing all of their lives without knowing that it is not fish they are after”. Everyone has issues in their life and fishing can help with it in many forms. Over all the years love of fishing has grown and, many different types have emerged such as fly-fishing, saltwater, and freshwater fishing. Also there are many different styles of fishing to the different types from baits to the rod. Because, of the constant demand and love for fishing, salt water fishing has become a growing industry along the coast of America, and saltwater fishing provide a recreational sport for many, but it can require boat access and the correct license and fishing equipment.
Opposed by Fisher folks: Fisher folk of Koliwada Worli strongly opposed the construction of Bandra Worli sea link as it affected their livelihood. They had voiced out the issue stating the pillars which were constructed in the sea will create issue for them while fishing. Further the earning of Fisher folks were also affected as the state had r...