INDUSTRY: COMMERCIAL FISHING | MALDIVES

Images taken whilst spending 24 hours with a group of commercial pole fishermen in the Indian Ocean off the coast of Addu Atoll in the Maldives. Commercial fishing in the Maldives is done by catching small bait fish with nets off the side of fishing dhonis at night. With the bait fish caught, the fishing dhoni then heads out into the open ocean searching for schools of tuna.

The fishermen typically look for gatherings of birds feeding on small fish at the ocean surface - it is more than likely that tuna will be feeding too. The fishermen line the back end of the dhoni each with a bamboo pole strung with a fishing line and a hook. Men in the middle of the dhoni throw handfuls of small bait fish over the side helping ensure the tuna stay at the surface eating. The fishermen literally hook the tuna (typically 7-9 kilos each) and heave them onto the deck of the fishing dhoni were they die within 2 to 3 minutes, flapping violently around on the deck.

Fishermen work 6 days per week, having Friday prayer day off. Fishermen in this photo typically earn 1000 Ruyfia ($78 USD June 2006) each for a 7 tonne catch. A typical working day may be as long as 15 hours or more. While catch size varies significantly, fishermen can catch up to 30 tonnes on good days. Most weeks fishermen in this photo series can expect to earn 4,000 to 5,000 Ruyfia ($313 to $392 USD June 2006). The fish is then on sold to a fish processing ship which will snap freeze the tuna and take it to South East Asia to sell.

While the work is regarded as inherently dangerous, most fishermen agree that it is one of the better paying jobs a Maldivian can have in the Maldives.