The Fishermen of Chowara

The method of fishing along the Malabar Coast in India has not changed for centuries. The fishermen take their nets in traditional wooden boats out into the sea, spread them along the coast to pull them later by hand back to the shore. The sea is often rough and desires considerable skill at mastering the waves near the shore. Day in, day out you can see lines of men clad in plain loincloths shouting in rythm at every pull of the nets. The men are proud of their trade, even though the catch has become scarce of late. The sea is overfished. The earlier use of dynamite and an increasing number of larger motorboats have taken toll on the fish population.