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To migrate or not: social well-being and gendered household decision-making in fishing communities on the west and east coasts of Sri Lanka
Abstract
Households in fishing communities on the west and east coasts of Sri Lanka engage in internal seasonal migration (coastal and coast to coast) to pursue small-scale fishing and fisheries-based livelihoods. The chapter focuses on the material, relational, and subjective factors underlying the households’ gendered decision-making, using a social well-being approach. It is based on the quantitative and qualitative data from four fishing communities, two in Puttalam District (west coast) and two in Trincomalee District (east coast). Gendered migration patterns, enabling and disabling factors, and the costs and benefits of migration processes for the well-being of household members are assessed. The role of social relations and networks as both enabling and disabling factors for migration is emphasized. The chapter argues that understanding the relative importance placed on material, relational, and subjective well-being dimensions by different individuals, fishing households, and communities is critical to making sense of migration-related decisions and their consequences.
Keywords: decision-making, fishing households, migration, Sri Lanka, well-being
... Small-scale fishers, especially from the West and South routinely migrate to compatible areas (North and East) following monsoonal winds (ibid.; Koralagama 2020; Weeratunge et al. 2020). Seasonal migration is heavily adopted by fishers on the west coast, particularly from Negombo-Chilaw to Puttalam due to multiple reasons; caste-based occupation for generations depicting their own identity as fishers , lacking of alternative livelihoods to be practiced during the off-season (Weeratunge et al. 2020), and with zero opportunity cost (Amarasinghe 1989). ...
... Koralagama 2020; Weeratunge et al. 2020). Seasonal migration is heavily adopted by fishers on the west coast, particularly from Negombo-Chilaw to Puttalam due to multiple reasons; caste-based occupation for generations depicting their own identity as fishers , lacking of alternative livelihoods to be practiced during the off-season (Weeratunge et al. 2020), and with zero opportunity cost (Amarasinghe 1989). However, a myriad of issues has been reported against seasonal migrants in recent past Weeratunge et al. 2020). ...
... Seasonal migration is heavily adopted by fishers on the west coast, particularly from Negombo-Chilaw to Puttalam due to multiple reasons; caste-based occupation for generations depicting their own identity as fishers , lacking of alternative livelihoods to be practiced during the off-season (Weeratunge et al. 2020), and with zero opportunity cost (Amarasinghe 1989). However, a myriad of issues has been reported against seasonal migrants in recent past Weeratunge et al. 2020). This claims a holistic interdisciplinary approach to address these fisheries-related issues (Charles et al. 2012 (Koralagama et al. 2017;Weeratunge et al. 2010) and blue justice (Koralagama and Bavinck 2022), but wellbeing assessments in fisheries are still lacking (Coulthard et al. 2011), especially on seasonal migration, which has considered as marginalized due to seasonality (Weeratunge et al. 2020), livelihood continuation issues and intercommunity conflicts (Koralagama and Bavinck 2022). ...
During the off-season, small-scale fishers migrate to more favourable locations to sustain their fishing activities and livelihoods. This study focuses on Sri Lanka's west coast to investigate the psychological, social, and economic motives that influence the decision making on the seasonal migration destination of these fishers. Using qualitative methods including sixty in-depth interviews and five key informant discussions, the research focuses on the overlooked aspects of well-being in fisheries literature. It introduces a holistic view of "well-being" that encompasses material gains, social motives, and functional factors, all of which are tied to the concept of place attachment. Economic drivers, such as stable income, resource access, and market opportunities, contribute to material well-being. Social factors like community ties and networking encourage migration for social benefits. Functional aspects, including emotional and cognitive factors, also play a role in migration decisions. The study concludes that the choice of migration sites is a complex blend of these economic, social, and functional motives, each linked to different facets of human well-being. The insights are extendable to other resource-dependent communities that engage in seasonal migration for livelihood and well-being, such as farmers and miners.
Seasonal migration protects fishers from monsoon winds, enabling wellbeing, food security, income generation, and livelihoods of men and women alike. Limited research exists on the perceptions of migrant fishers from a Blue Justice perspective. The present chapter addresses this knowledge gap by analyzing qualitative research data from two migrant fishing communities in western Sri Lanka. We identify the benefits generated by migration, but also the plenitude of conflicts that occurs between migrant and local fishers, traders, and government officials. The prevalence of legal pluralism, or a fragmented institutional condition (2nd order of governance), leads to these conflicts being insufficiently addressed and experiences of injustice. The chapter concludes that constructive approaches to overcome the disadvantages of legal pluralism at the second order of governance are necessary to enhance migrants’experience of Blue Justice.KeywordsFisher migrationGovernanceConflictsInstitutionsSri Lanka
Around the globe, people leave their homes to better themselves, to satisfy needs, and to care for their families. They also migrate to escape undesirable conditions, ranging from a lack of economic opportunities to violent conflicts at home or in the community. Most studies of migration have analyzed the topic at either the macro level of national and global economic and political forces, or the micro level of the psychology of individual migrants. Few studies have examined the "culture of migration"-that is, the cultural beliefs and social patterns that influence people to move.Cultures of Migration combines anthropological and geographical sensibilities, as well as sociological and economic models, to explore the household-level decision-making process that prompts migration. The authors draw their examples not only from their previous studies of Mexican Oaxacans and Turkish Kurds but also from migrants from Europe, sub-Saharan Africa, the Pacific, and many parts of Asia. They examine social, economic, and political factors that can induce a household to decide to send members abroad, along with the cultural beliefs and traditions that can limit migration. The authors look at both transnational and internal migrations, and at shorter- and longer-term stays in the receiving location. They also consider the effect that migration has on those who remain behind. The authors' "culture of migration" model adds an important new dimension to our understanding of the cultural beliefs and social patterns associated with migration and will help specialists better respond to increasing human mobility. Copyright