An Explorative Study on Information Communication Associated with the Fisheries Industry in Sri Lanka

Abstract

Fisheries industry is one of the major income sources of Sri Lanka. The success and the sustainability of this industry highly dependent on the amount and the quality of important information they possess. However, whether the necessary information reaches today’s fishing community is a question that warrants investigation. Therefore, a study was carried out to investigate the effectiveness of information transfer between the fishing community and the relevant authorities. Data was collected from Negombo area of Gampaha District from 50 fishing families using a questionnaire. Eight respondents were selected an “information producers” and they were interviewed regarding their role and main mass communication methods. The study revealed that the information transfer to the fishing community is poor and inadequate mainly due to the lack of a direct link between them and the authorities. Further it was identified that by developing an effective communication system, necessary knowledge and infrastructure facilities needed for a sustainable development of the industry can be efficiently transmitted.