In 1988, the Government of Sri Lanka requested the Bay of Bengal Programme for Fisheries Development (BOBP) to assist the Ministry of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (MFAR) to formulate and execute a fisherfolk credit project. It was agreed that the project would aim at developing comprehensive, need-based lending schemes that would incorporate simplicity, timeliness and flexibility, and which would help the fisherfolk to increase their operational efficiency, develop savings/thrift habits and better manage their incomes and resources by linking savings with credit.

The BOBP planned to start its work with a socio-economic survey in order to get a better grasp of the fisherfolk’s needs. MFAR, at this point, felt the scope of the survey could be expanded in order to strengthen its own information base. MFAR and BOBP there after worked together on planning a survey to meet the needs of both, the twin objectives being to obtain socio-economic information that would help in the formulation of the new credit scheme and also supplement the existing socio-economic information base of MFAR relating to the fisherfolk communities of Sri Lanka.

The survey was conducted in 1989 by MFAR with the technical and financial assistance of BOBP. This document presents some of the more important findings of the survey, which was conducted in the coastal villages of four fishing districts in Sri Lanka.

The learning experience during the survey would, MFAR felt, help considerably in its future surveys in the fishing districts of the island.