Fishing from a stilt isn’t the most practical method to catch a fish in this day and age. But the stilt fishermen of Sri Lanka aren’t doing it because it’s easy, they’re trying to keep a dying tradition alive.
With only a few stilt fishermen left, this method which started due to boat and food shortages during World War II is a disappearing art.
Anura Wijewikrama is one of the few that keep the tradition going. Although it doesn’t earn him enough money to make a living, he manages to fish for a couple of hours in the morning and a couple more in the afternoon.
The handmade stilts are driven into the sand in this exclusively Sri Lankan tradition. Wijewikrama says the stilts last for about four months before they need to be replaced.
