Negombo Fish Market, Sri Lanka
Men and women are cleaning up their fishing nets on the beach next to Negombo fish market...
The location of the city of Negombo at the junction of Negombo Lagoon and the open sea makes it the perfect spot for a fishing port to harvest lobsters, crabs and prawns from the lagoon and a huge variety of fish from the ocean ranging from Stingrays, Barracuda, Tuna to Octopus, Squid, Mullet, and many other varieties in between.
Interesting to see the variety of fishing craft discharging their catch and the on-shore activities. Sellers, buyers, people gutting fish, drying racks; so many activities with lots of noise, colour, sizes, shapes and smells! You can also observe fishermen repairing and preparing their nets and boats for next-morning fishing trip.
The fish market continues a way of life that has existed for generations. It is an interesting place to visit at almost any time, although mid-morning may be the best time, to observe the many types of fish brought in for sale.
The fish is cleaned on the extensive beach in front of the fish market and spread out on jute mats to dry in the sun. The dry wind and radiant sun remove all the water and it gives the catch a longer expiration date for storage. Once dried, it is transported across the country. Dried fish is a commonly added ingredient in the national dish of Sri Lanka; rice and curry. It’s often added because it’s a good source of proteins.
The fishermen who are based at the Negombo lagoon live in abject poverty in shanty thatch palm villages along the water's edge. They rely mainly on their traditional knowledge of the seasons for their livelihood, using outrigger canoes carved out of tree trunks (oruvas and paruvas) and nylon nets to bring in modest catches from September through April. Negombo has a large bilingual population of Roman Catholics, known as Negombo Tamils who have their own Tamil dialect but mostly identify themselves as Sinhala.
Negombo is a major city in Sri Lanka, known for its long sandy beaches and centuries old fishing industry. Negombo has been an important sea port and trading centre since at least Portuguese times (early 1500s). The Dutch took over the Portuguese and built the fort (1672) and constructed a 120 km long canal.
Negombo Fish Market, Sri Lanka
Men and women are cleaning up their fishing nets on the beach next to Negombo fish market...
The location of the city of Negombo at the junction of Negombo Lagoon and the open sea makes it the perfect spot for a fishing port to harvest lobsters, crabs and prawns from the lagoon and a huge variety of fish from the ocean ranging from Stingrays, Barracuda, Tuna to Octopus, Squid, Mullet, and many other varieties in between.
Interesting to see the variety of fishing craft discharging their catch and the on-shore activities. Sellers, buyers, people gutting fish, drying racks; so many activities with lots of noise, colour, sizes, shapes and smells! You can also observe fishermen repairing and preparing their nets and boats for next-morning fishing trip.
The fish market continues a way of life that has existed for generations. It is an interesting place to visit at almost any time, although mid-morning may be the best time, to observe the many types of fish brought in for sale.
The fish is cleaned on the extensive beach in front of the fish market and spread out on jute mats to dry in the sun. The dry wind and radiant sun remove all the water and it gives the catch a longer expiration date for storage. Once dried, it is transported across the country. Dried fish is a commonly added ingredient in the national dish of Sri Lanka; rice and curry. It’s often added because it’s a good source of proteins.
The fishermen who are based at the Negombo lagoon live in abject poverty in shanty thatch palm villages along the water's edge. They rely mainly on their traditional knowledge of the seasons for their livelihood, using outrigger canoes carved out of tree trunks (oruvas and paruvas) and nylon nets to bring in modest catches from September through April. Negombo has a large bilingual population of Roman Catholics, known as Negombo Tamils who have their own Tamil dialect but mostly identify themselves as Sinhala.
Negombo is a major city in Sri Lanka, known for its long sandy beaches and centuries old fishing industry. Negombo has been an important sea port and trading centre since at least Portuguese times (early 1500s). The Dutch took over the Portuguese and built the fort (1672) and constructed a 120 km long canal.