On the morning I was to fly to Mumbai to catch my train to Jaipur… I got up before sunrise to visit a fishing village not far from Diu. Ashok and I arrived just after sunrise and there was a hive of activity as fishing boats unloaded their fish and laid them out on the ground (or dumped them) for buyers to peruse and hopefully buy. Prawns, tuna, reef fish and other unknown species were all available. The abundance and diversity of fish at the market though is much reduced from what is typically there.
I loved the colours of the saris and hustle and bustle of the port. And... everything and everyone was so photogenic. Some of the people smiled at me others pretended to take no notice.
I asked the guest house owner about fish (and fishing) in and around Diu and he explained that the number of fish being caught has dropped significantly and prices have soared for what is available. Reasons outlined for the lack of available fish include over-harvesting and pollution (as well as political corruption providing fishing contracts). Apparently the situation is so bad that the Indian government has put a moratorium on fish harvesting in the region (I was not able to verify this with any other source, but I don’t doubt it).
There was obviously some fishing going on off the coast of Gujarat though as there were lots of fishing boats at Vanakbara and a range of fish and shellfish were available for purchase.
I wish I could have spent more time watching and photographing the goings on but time was tight and I had to rush back to town and head to the airport. Next stop Jaipur!
