Postcard from Galle: Keeping alive Sri Lanka's unique tradition of stilt fishing

The daily catch from fishing on wooden perches along the shore has dropped sharply since the 2004 tsunami

These fishermen who fish from stilts in Sri Lanka's southern province of Galle are known for their patience and endurance. All photos: Taniya Dutta / The National

A stilt fisherman shows his catch. The men use fishing rods made of local wood called kithul to catch small fish

Rasika Welheelae, 45, makes stilts for fishing using kithul wood

Seena Th, 60, a third-generation stilt fisherman, showing a sardine he caught

Natural disasters have reduced the number of fish near the coast, and a lack of resources makes it difficult for the fishermen to opt for more efficient forms of fishing or big boats

Stilts on the coast of the Indian Ocean in Koggala, Sri Lanka

A fisherman shows his catch, a sardine

This fishing technique began during the Second World War and is believed to have been prompted by food shortages

The peak fishing season is in April, but fishing continues from May to September

Sri Lanka’s stilt fishermen have become a tourist attraction in the seven decades since this unique form of fishing began, but the photos of them perched above the sea against blue skies or orange sunsets give little indication of the hardships they now face.

The fishermen who fish from stilts in Sri Lanka's southern province of Galle became known worldwide for their patience and endurance; however, they now rely on tourists and pose for them on the stilts to make ends meet. Natural disasters have reduced the number of fish near the coast, and a lack of resources makes it difficult for the fishermen to opt for more efficient forms of fishing or big boats to go out further into the ocean.

“This is a famous fishing, but people need to earn money. When we have tourists coming, we earn money, sometimes we earn 100 rupees [from photos] we are happy, and we can go home. Some fishermen take money from tourists for photos,” Seena Th, a 60-year-old fisherman from Koggala fishing village, told The National.

Generations of fishermen have followed "ritipanna", a fishing technique unique to the island nation, where they sit perched on a crossbar fitted to a long wooden stilt erected in the shallow waters of the Indian Ocean. The stilts are made of local wood called kithul, to which smaller lengths of wood are attached to provide a perch for the fishermen to stand or sit on. The catch is usually small fish like mackerel or sardines.

This fishing technique began during the Second World War and is believed to have been prompted by food shortages. Despite changing times and great advances in fishing boats and technology, the fishermen stuck with the technique.

This type of fishing is practised in the villages of Koggala and Ahangama in Galle district and Weligama in Matara district, which is about 150km south of the capital Colombo. There are an estimated 150 stilt fishermen in the country.

“We do stilt fishing for a living. We are doing the same thing as our fathers and grandfathers did. We have no option. Boat fishing is expensive and needs more people but here I can fish alone,” Priyadasa, 60, who uses a single name, told The National.

“There is less money, but we continue stilt fishing because this is a generational occupation. We do not know any other work. We may be the last fishermen to continue this tradition,” he said.

Challenging work

Stilt fishing is physically demanding – strength is needed to hold the rod with one hand for several hours while balancing on the stilt. It also requires patience to sit in silence so as to avoid scaring away the fish. The fishermen start at 5am and continue through the day for up to four hours at a stretch. They store their catch in a bag tied to their waist or to the pole.

The peak fishing season is in April, Rasika Weelheelae said, but fishing continues from May to September. If they catch enough fish to sell by the roadside or at market, they can earn 400 rupees ($1.37) per kilogram.

“We catch sardines and small fish which don’t need a net. During the fishing season one fisherman can catch up to 3kg of fish with one stick but other times, we get [only] enough for our consumption," Mr Weelheelae said.

“We somehow manage with the little money because what else can we do? I love this job because it is unique and famous, but money is less. It gets difficult to run the house when the catch is less,” he said.

The fishermen also say stilt fishing has become more difficult since the 2004 tsunami, which ravaged coastlines around the Indian Ocean and killed an estimated 225,000 people, including at least 46,000 people in Sri Lanka. The tsunami changed the country's fishing grounds and damaged the coastal ecosystem, causing a decline in fish numbers, according to the UN's Food and Agriculture Organisation.

“About two decades ago there were more fish, there were only a few places where the fish would come. Now, there aren't many fish. Before, we caught 30kg in one day – in two hours. Now it is 10kg a day in peak season,” Mr Th said.

Desperate times

With the number of fish dwindling and no resources to buy boats for deep-sea fishing, many fishermen are relying on tourists to eke out a living, particularly during the off-season, when fishing drops. Many fishermen pose for tourists, balancing on the crossbars against the blue ocean waters. The spectacle is popular with social media enthusiasts.

Many fishermen also offer their stilts to the tourists to pose in their own photos. Unfortunately, this has led to others pretending to be fishermen just to receive money for the photos.

“The other fishermen have big boats to catch big fish, they go far away and come back late in the night. But we have no boats so we cannot do that, that is why we do stilt fishing here. We have no option,” Mr Th said.

“There are also some impostors who are posing as fishermen. We want the government to look into this. This further affects our income. My son has learnt this fishing from me and is also engaged in stilt fishing but with less income and competition from these impostors, I do not know how long can we continue,” he said.