Socio-economic development of marine ornamental reef fish fishers in eastern Sri Lanka through the lenses of Human Development Index.

Abstract

Marine ornamental reef (MOR) fishery in Sri Lanka expanded to the commercial level only after the 1950 s. Although MOR fishery is contributing significantly to the socio-economic development of the country, studies are scarce to assess the socio-economic status of fishers engaged in the fishery. The present study aimed to assess the socio-economic development of MOR fisher communities in the Trincomalee district, which is considered a hotspot for the MOR fishery in Sri Lanka through the lenses of the Human Development Index (HDI). Fisher communities associated with reefs at Sampur, Pulmodai and Kuchchaweli in Trincomalee were comprehensively studied focussing on full-time reef fishers (n = 90). Results indicated that the fisher income was several folds higher than the minimum monthly wage of workers in the country (10,000 LKR, ≈50 USD). Higher income gained by MOR fishers (30,000–300,000 LKR, ≈150–1500 USD) was conspicuously reflected by having high human, physical and health capital, all of which resulted from high financial capital. Income showed slight variations amongst communities based on the species being fished. Consequently, study communities held high Schooling Index (SI), Health System Index (HSI) and Economic index (EI) all of which are modified sub-indices of the common HDI. Human Development Index linked to Ornamental Fisheries (HDIOF) which is the weighted sum of SI, HIS and EI shows a medium level development in the MOR fisher communities at Trincomalee. The present study affirms that HDIOF is a promising indicator to elucidate the socio-economic status of the MOR fisher communities in Sri Lanka.