Maldivians depend on fishing for survival. It plays a vital role in the local culture. And it is the lifeblood of the archipelagic nation. When it comes to landing tuna – one can witness one of the most artistic fishing methods in the world. They take one fish at a time or they target the target species. This is called pole-and-line fishing. It involves a pole and a line with one hook – it is maneuvered by one individual.
The main material used is bamboo and plastic nowadays. The pole is around 10 to 15 feet in length. The hooks are barbless and feathered. Sometimes forage fish – anchovies or herring are spiked on the hook and used as bait for the fish. It results in minimal damage to marine creatures. This method has been used for centuries. François Pyrad de Laval described this method: “The boats would have been smaller than today and the sails would have been made from palm leaves but otherwise it is still done in the same way, using pole-and-line and live bait.”
Maldivians have been practicing pole-and-line fishing for centuries. Hooking one fish at a time, this is believed to be the most sustainable method of fishing in the world. Maldivian pole-and-line fishing exclusively targets skipjack tuna. This method also spares juvenile fish, which ultimately contributes to the protection of fish stocks. Sharks, manta rays and dolphins, which are common victims of other forms of fisheries such as trawling, are safe from pole-and-line fishing.
Most of these vessels employ about 15 – 20 crew members. First, they will catch live bait fish to catch tuna. Once the bait is caught, local dhonis (fishing boat) set sail just before the light of dawn, making their way towards the open ocean. They pass the turquoise waters and off-the-beaten-path white sand beaches – and then travel over the deep blue ocean. They search for schools of tuna using binoculars and sighting birds or dolphins. If flocks of birds are seen hovering above the water, then it is a good sign of fish presence.
The fishermen head towards the tuna school. Once they locate the school, bait fish is thrown to attract the schools of skipjack towards the surface, and before long, the surface of the water bursts into a frenzy. Tuna, and other predatory fish species, have evolved for 20 million years to be attracted to surface disturbances, since, before man, they were caused mostly by bait. Mixing a little bait with water, to mimic the action of fish being chased by predators, attracts the tuna. It is also a way to make a little sound and look like a lot. And then the excitement begins. They use live bait fish to keep the tuna swimming around the vessels.
It takes split seconds for them to pull one in on their barbless hooks. As if magically, the fish gets released off the hook by a flick of the pole. The fish immediately gets placed in ice, and the line goes back in the water to hook another. The exhilaration and the pumping adrenalin during the whole frenzy keep the fishermen going, regardless of neither rough seas nor the ache on their wrists. It’s an endurance game. After hours at sea, as dusk sets in, the dhoanis return to their fishing villages with the day’s catch. The life of a fisherman is tough, but it is embraced by the locals as a tradition that defines us as Maldivians.
