The risk-taking and bravery of our fishermen may be unknown to many of you. When a large yellowfin tuna or billfish (sailfish, marlin, etc.) is hooked, these brutes exert enormous and lightning-fast pulls, causing sudden entanglement of hands or arms and dragging the fisherman into the sea. Yet, the courageous men maintain complete control over the beasts.
There have been many such incidents in the past. Even now, some encounters happen. Fishermen have caused significant finger injuries and physical damage. I’ll write about two incidents that happened in Fuvahmulah. Ahamaadhee, an experienced fisherman, was in a small fishing vessel known as a dhoani. The vessel was propelled by an engine. One day, Ahamaadhee and his friends headed out to catch yellowfin tuna off the coast of Fuvahmulah.
As usual, he set up his 150-pound monofilament line. He attached a live mackerel scad (known as ‘rinmaha’ in our dialect) to the fishing hook. He then threw the bait into the sea, allowing the scad to swim freely. Ahamaidhee sat on the deck of the dhoani for about two minutes after he released the fishing line. Suddenly, a large yellowfin tuna darted towards the bait and swiftly tugged on the fishing line, throwing Ahamaadhee into the sea. His right arm became entangled because of an unexpected knot in the fishing line.
The powerful yellowfin tuna drew him to a depth of approximately 15 feet. Ahmahaadhee was lucky and courageous. He held the fishing line with both hands, trying to pull the fish towards him. He fought the strong fish and was able to reach the surface in 40 seconds.
With one arm entangled and severely bruised from the strong monofilament, he pulled the fishing line as hard as he could and swam to the edge of the dhoani, where his friends were stunned and unsure what would happen to him. Fortunately, he was able to swim towards the dhoni, where his friends were able to quickly hold the fishing line. They tried to save him.
The fishermen on the dhoani pulled the fishing line and brought the large yellowfin tuna near the surface. The yellowfin tuna weighed approximately 45 kilogrammes. These are similar incidents that have happened while fishing for these sea brutes. I remember letting go of a fishing line that had been baited with mackerel scad. I was wearing cotton gloves. Suddenly, a yellowfin tuna smashed the bait and began to swim deep down at lightning speed.
I attempted to pull it. However, as it began its typical swift run, the monofilament line flew through my fingers, revealing a small knot on the line. The knot became stuck on the glove. I removed the glove and threw it away. Thankfully, I survived. Luckily, I was able to land the yellowfin tuna without this happening.
Our fishermen’s courage is tested by more than just storms, rough seas, and powerful waves. They spent several hours under the heat of the sun looking for fish, and they are willing to travel hundreds of miles to get a good catch. When the ocean and mother nature unleash unpredictable events and phenomena, they try to adapt to the situation; if the situation becomes unbearable, they attempt to return to the island.
In all of these situations, they put their lives at risk. However, their courage and bravery will be tested in these situations. Most notably, when they attempt to land large and powerful fish, their skill and bravery are put to the ultimate test, overwhelming the brutes in the vast ocean, and when these powerful fish attempt to trap or put them in danger, they unleash their bravery.
