Contextualizing methodology and measuring reflected material wellbeing of a fishing community in Sri Lanka

The present study develops an approach that consists of contextually specific, methodological stances to measure the material wellbeing and apply it to identify the wellbeing variations among four different fishing profiles of the Rekawa fishing community in Sri Lanka. One hundred and sixty fishers were randomly selected from “one-day fishing”, “multiday fishing”, “beach-seine”, and “lagoon fishing” profiles representing forty from each group. Material wellbeing is a profoundly important aspect of the overall welfare that consists of economic sustainability, healthy living, good and quality education, and access to nutritious food. Besides, acquiring and preserving material wellbeing can be considered an essential objective of the fishing community, but lay reflections on wellbeing experiences can be different because each fishing profile is attributed to different community characteristics. Development interventions are thus required to be adjusted in line with the unique socio-cultural characteristics of the community.