Three times a week, a group of commercial fishermen sails to sea from an old Mombasa port in Kenya. They head south in a small boat to the deep waters off Tanzania’s Pemba Island in search of swordfish, marlin, tuna and shark. Journalist Jason Patinkin recently joined the crew for a two-day trip.
Back at port after 36 hours at sea, they weighed and sold the fish and split the profits. On good days, each man earns $30. With only the tuna and shark, they took $7 apiece, less than $4 a day. They then had 12 hours to relax before sailing again at dawn, chasing the hard life of a Kenyan fisherman. (By Jason Patinkin)
Masud Rashid, the boat’s owner, who was not aboard, said later that international regulations have dampened the Kenyan market. “The price of fins was up to $150,” he said. “Now, [it’s] $80.” As the crewmen were pulling in the lines, an armed security ship protecting vessels exploring for oil started casing the boat. Fishermen are often mistaken for Somali pirates. Capt Abdillahi has been arrested in the past for that reason.
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