The 'art' of fishing from ledges in Sri Lanka

Post:Lam Linh. Image:Long Vu

In the fiery red sunset on the horizon, the simple stakes in the sea create a rare beauty. On the calm, clear blue sea, the stakes, firmly planted along the coastal road, create ideal fishing spots. At 4 pm, the fishermen of Galle fishing village gather at the beach, preparing for their afternoon fishing trip.

The Kathaluwa fishermen begin swimming with powerful strokes, overcoming the relentless, roaring waves towards the shore to reach their spot. The stilts, planted in the sea, are about 2 meters long. The fishermen sit on a crossbar called a petta, attached to a vertical post planted in the coral reef. They hold the stilts with one hand and a fishing rod with the other, hoping to catch herring or small mackerel. The fish they catch are stored in a plastic bag tied around their waist or around the post.

Fishing from wooden stilts is a long-standing tradition among approximately 500 fishing families in southwestern Sri Lanka, in the Galle district, particularly around the towns of Kathaluwa and Ahangama. The exact origin of this tradition is unclear. According to some older fishermen, this method of fishing was invented after the end of World War II. At that time, people fished from rocks jutting out of the ocean surface. They used leftover iron bars from the war to make stakes and planted them in the coral reefs. But as iron stakes became scarce, they replaced them with wooden ones, which they found to be sturdy and strong enough to withstand the fury of the sea. Since then, wooden stilts have completely replaced the rusted iron ones.

Another explanation suggests that this unique fishing method originated from the fact that fishermen were too poor to afford fishing boats. They devised this method and passed it down from generation to generation.

And one widely accepted explanation regarding the environmental issue is that instead of using nets, the fishermen here sit for hours fishing from makeshift fishing platforms. They argue that net fishing disturbs the fish population, and the fish may not return for years, forcing them to seek out new, more distant fishing grounds. The simple, unassuming platforms on the sea, however, disturb the fish far less, and the fish remain in the area. Therefore, the fishermen patiently wait on their platforms until the fish bite the hooks themselves.

Fishermen spend two sessions a day fishing, dedicating hours to the sea. With a fishing rod, a fish bag, and a few cigarettes, the fishermen, with their headscarves, bare-chested, or loosely draped in a shirt, wait for the fish to bite. The fish caught in the afternoon are usually small, serving as bait for the next morning's catch of larger fish. Stilts are firmly planted in the sea, and not everyone has the patience to sit and fish on them. After hours of fishing under the scorching sun, the catch can be sold or used for dinner. The tradition of fishing is passed down from father to son, along with the specific skills of each fishing family. Fishing on stilts is a traditional way of life for the people of Sri Lanka, and each stilt is considered a valuable family heirloom.

To this day, stilt fishing has become a beautiful sight on the seas of Sri Lanka. Sitting on stilts precariously perched between the sky and the water, in the deep red sunset, their faces also glow a red, the waves crashing, the coconut trees towering, like a stunning still-life painting of nature.

The Thanh