Lora Photography 2013
The “stilt fishing” or ritipanna is a tradition fishing technique which is practiced especially around the towns of Kathaluwa and Ahangama, Sri Lanka. Historically, stilt fishing in Sri Lanka started after the Second World War when some innovative fishermen used discarded ‘iron poles’ to make stilts by planting them in the reef. Afterwards, timber poles were used and in fact were preferred by fishermen due to its durability and lighter weight especially when made of alstonia. The fishermen sit on a cross bar tied to a 3-4 m vertical pole planted about 0.5-1 m into the coral reef. Hence, the fishermen sit at a height of about 2 m.
