Abstract:
Present study was conducted to determine the impacts of barrage construction on livelihood status of fishers who
involve fishing in Thondaimanaru lagoon. The data related to the socio - economic condition of fishers in the particular area were
obtained through a pre - tested structured questionnaire and in - depth guided interviews from July 2016 to January 2017.
Randomly selected 25 fishermen were interviewed. The collected data were subjected to descriptive statistical analysis. Survey
results indicated that 88% of fishermen are living as nuclear families consisting of 4 - 5 members. Majority of fishermen are
Hindus and 92% are married. About 64% engaged in fishing are under age group of 36 - 55. Education is still not prominent
among the fishers. Only 84% has primary education. The main occupation in this society is fishing and earned highest monthly
income LKR (6000 ± 1000). It was found that installation of barrage plays a crucial role in socio - economic status of fishers of
Thondaimanaru lagoon. This barrage severely affected the traditional fishing, amount of fish production and its consequences on
their income as well. It was apparent from the current study that these fishermen have poor livelihood status and they need
support from government or other organizations to enhance their socio – economic status.
