5.00 am
Wake up just before sunrise to the relaxing sound of bird sing. It’s an early wake-up call, but the fishermen land their catch bright and early!
SL002.2 – Monitoring of fishing pressure and gear use in eastern Sri Lanka – Life on site
Accommodation and transport to site
Accommodation on site is relatively basic and provided through a local guest house located 200m from the main project base. Rooms are fan-cooled private rooms with private bathroom. The great breezy verandas and the meals consisting of traditional recipes created using locally sourced organic ingredients will leave you an unforgettable memory.
Food and drink
Three meals a day will be provided by a local cook. This is a fantastic opportunity to experience the wonderful variety of tastes and colours of the local cuisine. Curries, kottus, “hoppers”, roti, are just a few of the dishes you will get to try.
How to get there
By plane
After flying into Colombo airport, you will be welcomed by a staff member of our local partner: Blue Resources Trust.
For flight information and reservations, please contact our partner STA Travel and make sure to mention EnScope. For every flight reservation made through them, they will make a 1% donation towards the development of our projects.
Local transport
As you arrive, you will be picked up from the Colombo Bandaranaike Airport by a local driver and will travel directly to the project site. All fees are covered as part of your project.
Life on site
The project is based in the center of Pasikudah, a few hundred meters from the beach front.
Pasikudah is historically a small Tamil hamlet, but has received increasing attention from investors and is now an up and coming tourist area. This makes this location particularly interesting to work in, as anthropogenic impacts associated with coastal development and the affluence of tourists are currently still limited.
Outside of project work, you will have the opportunity to enjoy the local culture and cuisine.
Typical day
5.30 am
Breakfast
Enjoy a quick breakfast of local bakeries (e.g. doughnuts, local bread) at the station to be ready for the day.
6.00 am
Heading to the fish landing sites
You will hop on a tuk-tuk and head over to the fish landing sites with one of the Blue Resources Trust researchers.
6.30 am
Meeting the fishermen
With the help of a Blue Resources Trust researcher who will also act as a translator, you will survey the fish landing site, interviewing fishermen on their fishing practices and documenting their catch. This is a great opportunity to mingle with the locals.
11.00 am
Head back to the field station
Grab a tuk-tuk back to the field station and meet up with the rest of the team for a well deserved local lunch!
12.00 pm
Lunch
1.00 pm
Data processing and analysis
Process your interview reports and catch data, and prepare your the next day’s survey. This is also an opportunity to discuss data analysis strategies with local scientists and to start working on the project report.
6.00 pm
Dinner time
Enjoy a local specialty prepared by our chef! For those of you who love eating with their hands, you’ll feel right at home!
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