The Fishermen - part 2

Draggers depart every morning from a small riverside port and out intro the Arabian sea off the coast of Goa, India. They fish in relative compact groups and drag their trawl on the seabed in search for fish. The following fishermen live and work on these boats.

Boats anchored in the small fishing port. Aboard, the fishermen are still sleeping.

Wooden boat mast with pulleys.

As the crew slowly wakes up they set sail.

Sun rises behind the dragger. Another crew member now awake gets ready to prepare the morning chai.

As everyone awakes they follow their morning routine.

Fish and rise are being prepared on the improvised stove.

The boat is stopped and everyone except the captain is busy pulling the net out.

After the prawns are selected for selling, the crew is allowed to keep the fish for themselfs.

The major part of what was in the net, being of no interest for the fishermen, is now returned to the sea, lifeless.

With the net back in the water everyone takes some rest. Mobile phones are providing some entertaiment.

The boat is stopped again and the second catch is being pulled out.

Among the fish there is plastic trash and even a car tire caught up in the net.

A poisonous sea snake gets everyones attention. One crew member take over the operation and removes the snake from the boat.

The catch is once again selected. Birds fly behind collecting the fish which is thrown overboard. Now, the boat heads back to shore with its net cleaned and packed.

As the day ends the fishermen get their boats ready for the next sunrise.

There is a very sensitive balance between ecological impact caused by overfishing and the need to economically sustain growing needs. No amount of regulations will prevent the society from choosing by itself.

Special thanks to my friend Henk Vogel, who's passion to photograph and explore made this trip possible. Check him out on flickr

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