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Fisherfolk contest ban on machinery use for onshore seine net
View(s):By Malaka Rodrigo
on Sri Lanka’s sandy shores, beach seine fishing — or ma-dela — has long been more than a way to earn a living. It is a cultural ritual: a communal gathering where dozens pull the net ashore by hand, chanting in rhythm, sharing the catch, and carrying forward a tradition passed down through generations.
But in recent years, this centuries-old practice has taken a dramatic turn.
Across many coastal districts, tractors and mechanised winches have replaced the collective human effort. What was once a slow, seasonal, labour-intensive activity has evolved into a high-powered, high-frequency operation — one that environmental authorities warn is damaging the very ecosystems that sustain the fishery.
Traditionally, ma-dela involves a villager casting a net from a canoe, setting it in a semicircle close to shore, and pulling it back manually — a process tied to human strength and coastal rhythms, typically a few times a week. But mechanised pulling has changed everything. With tractors, operators can use nets many times a day, increasing fishing pressure dramatically.
They can also lay nets further offshore, sweeping larger areas and catching more species, including juveniles. This speed and reach allow mechanised crews to outcompete traditional fishers, often fuelling community tensions.
According to Dr. Terney Pradeep, Director General of the Coastal Conservation Department (CCD), the impacts go far beyond overfishing.
“The tractors and heavy machinery used to pull these nets are destroying sensitive coastal habitats, especially sand dunes and the unique vegetation that grows on them,” he said. “These dunes act as natural barriers against coastal erosion. When they are damaged, the entire coastline becomes more vulnerable.”
Sand dunes also support wildlife, including nesting sea turtles, and host specialised plant species found only in these fragile coastal zones. Constant tractor movement compacts the sand, disrupts dune formation, and uproots stabilising vegetation. In some locations, dunes flattened by repeated mechanised operations have not recovered.
The CCD says this ecological degradation is a key reason why the ban on mechanised beach seines must be enforced without delay.
“This is not traditional ma-dela anymore,” Dr. Terney stressed, noting that mechanisation has effectively turned beach seining into an industrial-scale operation disguised as traditional fishing.
Against this backdrop, the Fisheries Ministry announced strict enforcement of the ban on mechanised beach seine operations, citing ecological harm and unsustainability.
But the decision triggered immediate backlash. On 17 November, mechanised seine operators protested outside the Fisheries Department, demanding the right to “modernise” traditional fishing.
They argue the ban is unfair and outdated. During the protest in Colombo, fishers carried placards urging the government to “support technological progress” and “allow modern fishing for modern times’’.
“We do not want to destroy the sea; we are only trying to compete and survive,” said Dilruk Fernando, secretary of the National Beach Seine Corporation. He called on the government to propose alternatives. “Every other sector modernises. Why shouldn’t the fisheries sector?” he asked.
Protesters also claim that manual pulling is no longer viable due to labour shortages and rising costs. They insist on regulating mechanised use, not banning it.
When mechanised pulling was first introduced, permission was granted sparingly — only a few operators were allowed to use tractors under strict limits as a pilot project. But over the years, the numbers expanded unchecked.
“What started with a handful has now grown into hundreds of mechanised beach seines around the island,” Dr. Pradeep said. “This scale was never intended, and it is simply not sustainable.”
The tension between conservation and livelihoods is a familiar challenge in Sri Lanka’s coastal communities, but the mechanised seine issue has deepened divisions — not only between fishers and authorities but also within fishing communities themselves.
Marine biologists note that ma-dela remained sustainable precisely because it was slow and limited by human effort. Once mechanised, it loses the very features that kept it environmentally safe.
For this reason, authorities maintain that calling mechanised beach seining “traditional” is misleading. “It is no longer the traditional method,” Dr. Pradeep emphasised. “It has become a different kind of fishery altogether, with different impacts.”
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