In 1992 The Small Fishers Federation was set up as a development network of small-scale fisher folk organizations in Sri Lanka. Small scale fisher folk are one of the most socially and economically vulnerable groups. They are engaged in fishing in shallow waters of the sea and also inland fishing areas using very primitive fishing gear. Their average income is US$ 12 per month and 84 percent of them are living in lack of basic needs.  The Federation represents these fisher folk in the islands. It’s an approved charity and a non-profit non-governmental organisation, which is incorporated under regulations for the Monitoring of Receipts and Disbursement of Funds by NGOs and is registered as a company. As an umbrella organisation the Federation is conducting advocacy, economical, social and educational programmes to strengthen and empower the small fisher community on self-reliance. 

Over the last few years the focus of the development strategy of the Federation shifted from social development to more economic development. The Federation aims to find a better equilibrium in those two development domains. Therefore, from this year on equal attention will be given to social and economic development. This shift in focus also has consequences for the organisational structure of the Federation. The Federation consists of member village organisations at grass-roots level, the social and economic resource centres at district level and the Federation’s headquarters at national level.