Hunters of the sea
One of the groups of people I had the privilege to work with was small-scale fishers, also described in literature as ‘artisanal fishers’. An artisan is basically a skilled manual worker and that is precisely what an artisanal fisher is. You might wonder what the big deal is but in a world where products are mass produced or extracted with machinery, the artisans are a dying breed and their products can fetch a pretty penny. But does an artisanal fisher earn a decent living and how are they perceived by society in general? I like using the gender-neutral term ‘fisher’ to describe these resilient, kind and generous people. Although men dominate this dangerous trade, women and even children are equally important contributors to the household. I once went out with a woman and her son to catch shrimp off the mangrove-lined coast of Langkawi. It was hard work through and through: back-breaking task of hauling in the gillnet; sorting the spiky shrimp; and to my horror, tossing out coun...