Abstract:
The present study was carried out in Oluvil during the period of 2000. The socioeconomic data of randomly selected 95 fishermen was obtained through pre-tested structured questionnaire, in-depth guided interview and observation. Descriptive analysis of the direct social demography was done using SPSS. All of the fishermen interviewed were Sri Lankan Muslims (97%) and Sri Lankan Tamils (3%), 97% of the fishermen interviewed in Oluvil belong to the Islam and the rest of them to Hindu. 33 fishermen (35%) were between 36 to 45 years old, 21 fishermen (22%) were between 15 – 25 years, 22 fishermen (23%) were between 26-35 and the remaining fishermen were more than 46 years old. A family size is 6.4 persons in a single family. In the fisher folk, 55 fishermen (58%) completed primary education. 3 fishermen (3%) did not go to the school. One fisherman had received a secondary level of education. Education of the menfolk is high compared to the female. 51% f wives of the fishermen received primary education. 16% f them did not go to school. About 94% of the children received education. Most (97%) of the fishermen are working under the Mudalalies and others having own gears. This survey revealed that the fishermen used gillnets (42%), beach sein (39%), hook and lines (17%) and cast net (4%). The production of fish was 50 - 150 kg per day during peak period and 20 – 50 kg during the off season. Daily fishing average income fluctuate between 250 – 500 SLR during the peak period.Further, this study addressed the species composition of fish, environmental issues and constraints in the fishing community, and suggest the potential management options.
