Traditional fishing techniques

Prof. W. I. Siriweera

In almost all aspects of livelihood of people, certain amount of continuity and change can be observed. Fibre glass boats and nylon nets are mostly used in modern day inland fishing, but still traces of traditional fishing techniques can be found. The objective of this essay is to document these techniques all of which may or may not survive in the future.

Fishing with an implement known as the karaka, or the karak gediya is a practice coming from time immemorial. The karaka is a basket like implement broad at the bottom and narrow at the top. Made of either small but hard and flexible wooden sticks or rattan it is shaped like a funnel. Both bottom and top ends are open and the hole on top is big enough for a man to thrust his arm in and is about two or three feet wide at the bottom. The fisherman operates the karaka from the edge of a river, stream, tank or pond. If the water course is shallow he operates it by wading in the water. The karaka is placed in the water to reach the bottom, and the fish that are trapped in it are caught by hand.

Stilt fishermen at Weligama. AFP

In this method, occasionally portions of a shallow stream, lake, canal or other water course is drained by bailing all or part of the water. When a sufficient amount to enable wading is emptied the area is beaten out so that it becomes muddy. When the fish blinded by the mud come up to the surface and float on top they are killed with a stick or caught by hands.

Small streams

An implement similar to the karaka but mainly used in shallow waters of the Dry Zone is known as the iratiya. The only difference between the karaka and iratiya is that the distance between sticks in the iratiya is shorter than that in the karaka. The sticks used in the former are also thinner than those in the latter so that even very small fish get entangled in the iratiya.

A traditional wickerwork contrivance known as the kemana which could trap fish is set up vertically in mid stream of rivers or in flowing water of small streams. It is an instrument like a long basket with a closed bottom end. This closed bottom end is wide whereas the opened top end is smaller in size. The kemana is also made of hard but small wooden sticks or rattan. It is usually placed after sunset and the fish trapped in it are collected in the early hours of the morning.

A variety of throwing nets (visi dala) large as well as small are still being used in wider stretches of rivers as well as in reservoirs. In the past they had been made of coir or of a fibre obtained from a tree called niyanda (Sansevieria zeylanica). Threads made of this fibre is stronger than coir but now they are being increasingly replaced by nylon threads.

The traditional net called athangoo is a large portable hand-net, with a rounded or elliptical framework made of bamboo, rattan or some other pliable jungle stick. The rural fishermen, after selecting a suitable pond or any other large fresh water sheet bury their athangoos in a horizontal position in the bed of the shallow water, making only the top of the stick-handle appear above the surface.

Thereafter each man, carries a long stick with a curve at one end roughly resembling a hockey stick and goes round the buried net, beating the water with the stick. The excited fish are driven into the almost entirely submerged trap net. This process is repeated several times and finally the fisherman raises the net vertically with a sudden jerk.

Inland waters

The rod and line fishing is practiced islandwide both at sea and inland waters. The method could be employed in many circumstances in places deep and dangerous where other methods cannot be resorted to. Fishing with the line could be done from the bank of a stream, reservoir or pond or from a canoe on the river or reservoir. The rod (bilil liya) is generally made of a well-grown and mature branch of the kitul (Caryota urens) palm and a woven thread discoloured and waxed is useed as the line (bili nula). The hook (bili kokka) is made of iron or steel. The baits are earth-worms, red ant eggs or very small live fish.

The term bilivedda is often used in ancient literature in a derogatory sense to a jungle man of the Vedda tribe who lived solely by fishing and hunting. Knox has referred to various techniques of fishing in the Kandyan kingdom in the 17th century but not to the rod and line.

Henrey Parker, referring to the Kandyan areas in the 19th century states that the Kandyans and the people of Vanni regions never fish with the hook, and all of them for some reason unkown even to themselves hold that it is quite improper to do so. Parker, further points out that the stigma attached to the hook was not peculiar to inland Sri Lanka but was so even in some parts of the ancient Mediterranean areas including Egypt.

In present day Sri Lanka there is no general condemnation of fishing with the hook in inland waters, but in certain localities the disapproval can still be observed. For example, in villages such as Likolapitiya, Monnekulama, Giriulla, Kirinda, Olupaliyava and Vanduressa in the Vanni Hatpattu, the rod and line fishing is not approved of and looked down upon.

Food poisoning

The practice of stupefying fish by means of poisonous leaves, fruits or roots thrown into the water has been in existence for centuries, but it is fast dying now due to the fear of food poisoning. For stupefying, mostly the crushed leaves, fruits or the roots of Timbiri tree (Doispyros embroypteris), Kukurumahan bush (Randia dumetorrum) creeper called Kala väl (Derris scandeous) respectively are thrown into the water pools where fish frequent.

The Veddas of Maha Oya wrap crushed attana (Datura metel) seeds in a piece of cloth and immerse the smashed up bundle in a jungle pool. The fish are rendered stuporouse by the action of atropine found in the seeds, and tend to rise to the surface. Then they are caught and transferred to a small pond till they recover. The recovery is a sign that the effects of atropine have waned off and the fish is killed and taken for consumption.

Large as well as small reservoirs spill during heavy rains and some of the fish living in them come out with spill water. In such instances villagers assemble below the spill and kill the fish with iron rods or swords. This is called Malu kotanava.

When reservoirs become virtually dry during drought leaving patches of water in the centre and near the spill, fishing in village reservoirs is prohibited by convention. The enforcement of the prohibition was entrusted to the village elder known as Vidane. The Vidane fixes bundles of sticks or a strong pole with dried leaves on top in places where water remains. This process is called ana bol bandinava. However, if drought prolongs and indications of drying up of the reservoir completely are strong the Vidane decides to allow fishing for the whole community.

Communal fishing

The date for such communal fishing is announced by the Vidane and on the stipulated day one male member from each family is expected to assemble at the reservoir in the early hours of the morning after sunrise. Each male brings utensils such as the iratiya and karaka for the exercise. Before the commencement of fishing the Vidane performs rituals to appease the gods and prays that fishing is conducted as the fish are about to die due to drought. Thereafter the Vidane removes the ana bol and the fishing commences. Fishing is done by placing the karakas and iratiyas in the water and the trapped fish are taken by hand and kept in heaps on the dried tank bed. When the process is complete the Vidane orders fishing to be stopped.

Then the Vidane and the crowd set aside fish portions for mothers with infants, pregnant mothers, the washerman, the village headman, the native physician of the village etc. Only thereafter the remaining fish is divided equally among all families that participated in fishing. Once the communal fishing was over, there were no prohibitions for anybody to fish in the dried up tank on any subsequent day.