Fishermen protest against shortages

(UCAN) Hundreds of fishermen took to the streets in Sri Lanka’s coastal cities and towns to demand relief from fuel shortages that have crippled their livelihoods for months.The protest marches and rallies held on Aug. 17 saw fishing boats being shifted to the streets as roadblocks in villages like Karukupanei, Muthupanthia, Ambakadawila, Thoduwava, and Chilaw.

Protests were also held in the northern districts of Mullaitivu, Jaffna, and Mannar, where the fishermen, besides fuel shortages, also complained about increased illegal fishing by Indian trawlers.The protesting fishermen complained they had not received fuel supplies for almost three months and were unable to put to sea.

Sebastian Fernando, a fisherman from Chilaw, a town in North Western province, told UCA News that kerosene has been in short supply ever since the economic crisis hit the nation.

“Fishermen managed for a while by buying kerosene on the black market. Some fishermen mixed petrol with kerosene oil and used it to run the outboard engines,” he said.

“We are not even able to afford proper meals”

Fernando said it was as if the government has forgotten the fisher community. “We are frustrated because we are not even able to afford proper meals and education for our children,” he added.Minister of Fisheries, Douglas Devananda, said a solution will be worked out to ensure an uninterrupted supply of kerosene oil within this week.

Fishing and related industries employ more than 10 percent of the island nation’s 22 million people, according to government statistics.The majority of Sri Lanka’s fishermen are Christians.Mary Crotilda, a Sunday school teacher from Negombo said attendance by children had fallen sharply.

“The fisher families were suffering income losses while prices of essential food items had gone up. Fish supplies too are decreasing. Hence, children are at great risk of malnutrition,” she said alluding to the fact that fish makes up about half of the protein in the local diet.

“Seven out of ten families are cutting down their food intake”

Sri Lanka had one of the highest rates of child malnutrition in South Asia and the economic crisis has accelerated the problem, UNICEF said.

“Seven out of ten families are cutting down their food intake to manage the crisis,” UNICEF added while appealing for US$25 million to support humanitarian aid to 1.7 million children in the island nation.Crotilda said that those fisher families who had three meals a day could now only afford two meals, while those who had two meals were having only one meal now.