The local fishing community gets their catch bright and early. Driving roughly 20 minutes out to an open spot toward Islas Secas, they throw a large net into the water at 5 a.m. We met them when it was time to bring the net in, slightly later at 7:30. What we found, however, was much different than expected. Those who follow these men in action will find quite a diverse catch.
After passing several industrial fishing boats along the way, we were expecting to find one that looked much the same. What we arrived at, however, was two men on a small speedboat pulling a 6-foot wide net out of the water. We drove closer to see what was going on. The man who just finished pulling the net from the water was wearing a garbage bag, presumably to keep himself dry from the splashing. Their catch sat in a pile in the back of the boat: we couldn’t believe what we saw. The pile contained tuna and loads of other various fish; more of marine life that would earn its own segment on Animal Planet.
Looks continued to be deceiving as we followed them to pull in their next net. It just kept going. We watched the fishermen hoist up yards and yards of netting with large fish caught every few feet. They kept at it for more than 15 minutes; this net had to have been longer than a football field. Seeing the weights strung at the sides and the buoys on top told us the net hangs in the water like a long narrow wall.
Veteran fisherman will likely find this to be a standard practice, but those seeing it for the first time will enjoy the novel concept. Perhaps even better with some fish tacos for breakfast.
