FISH PRODUCTION AND ENTREPRENEURIAL BEHAVIOUR OF FISHERMEN IN HIKKADUWA DIVISIONAL SECRETARIAT AREA OF GALLE DISTRICT

Abstract

A study on fish production and entrepreneurial behaviour of fishermen in the Hikkaduwa Divisional Secretariat division of Galle district was carried out during May and December 2021. By following a random sampling procedure, 40 fishermen were selected, and a structured interview schedule was used to collect the information through personal inter-views and phone calls. The data were analyzed by using the SPSS package. The frequencies, percentages and correlation coefficients were used to interpret the results. The important findings of the study were: more than half (60%) of fishermen had medium level of entrepreneurial behaviour. The personal and socio-economic characteristics of fishermen revealed that all of the fishermen were male, more than half of fishermen (67.5%) belonged to the old age category, 47.5% of fishermen were educated up to primary education level, and more than half (6.25%) of the respondents were depended mainly on fishing activity. Half of the respondents (50%) had a boat size lesser than 24 feet in length. More than half (72.5%) of respondents obtained high income (more than 35,000 Rs) from fishing, 27.5% of fishermen obtained low income (below 20,000 Rs). More than half (70%) of the fishermen had medium family size (4 to 6 members), and the majority (45.0%) of fishermen had above 36 years experience in fishing activity. Further, a positive correlation was obtained between the variables; the age of the fishermen and experience in fishing, education level of the fishermen and monthly family income, and annual fish production and the annual cost of production. On the other hand, the family size of the fishermen and their monthly family income negatively correlate with their experience in fishing. Furthermore, the cosmopolite ability of the fishermen positively correlates with their knowledge of expertise and leadership ability.