SOCIOECONOMIC CONDITIONS OF BIVALVE COLLECTORS AND THEIR LIVELIHOOD RELATED ISSUES ASSOCIATED WITH ANAIWASALA AND DUTCH BAY AREAS IN PUTTALAM LAGOON IN SRI LANKA

The present study provides information about the current socioeconomic conditions and livelihood related issues of the Anaiwasala and Dutch bay area’s bivalve collectors from July to August 2018. The highest percentage of bivalve collectors (34%) belong to the 31-40 age group and the lowest percentage in 11-20 and 61-70 age groups (03% each). Females (87%) and males (13%) were involved in bivalve collection, and all of them were married. Among the studied bivalve collectors 57%, 33%, and 10% of the bivalve collectors were Hindu, Christian, and Islam respectively. The present study shows that 37%, 40%, 20%, and 3% of the bivalve collectors have learned up to elementary level, junior secondary level, senior secondary level, and collegiate levels respectively. Families consisting of three members were dominant (37%) and most of them were (90%) nuclear families. During the July-August 2018 period, average monthly income per person per month was 14467 LKR. Among the studied bivalve collectors, 83% have own land and house and 73% of them were living in a partially completed house and 27% of them were lived in a completed house. According to the present study, 43% of the respondents don’t have other income sources. Also, 47%, 7%, and 3% of the bivalve collectors were involved in fishing, labor works, and dry fish production as other income sources. Conflicts between bivalve collectors and lagoon fishers for the space, lack of income source when bivalve population is low in the lagoon, lack of institutional support and lack of stable price for their products were identified as the main livelihood related issues.