One of the toughest jobs in the Lake Victorian region is night-fishing.
Crews often head out deep into the lake after dark, armed with bright lights to try and lure the fish into their nets.
The fishing expeditions last all night, with the fishermen only returning to the shores at dawn to sell their catch.
Whenever the fishermen head out into the waters, the captain – locally known as ‘madhar’ – is responsible for guiding the team throughout the night.
He sits at the back of the boat where he takes the role of directing the boat on the lake.
Once in position, the crew cast their nets then light their lamps and wait. The waiting period also doubles up as the resting period. It is these breaks that the fishermen can count on as the night rolls away.
After some time, the fishermen carefully pull out their nets with precision, trying to lose as few fish as possible.
The same routine is done time and again until the dawn comes, then the fishermen head back to the shore where the rest of the world will have woken up, ready to buy the fish.
According to the fishermen, the catch nowadays is not as good as it used to be some years ago. This, they attribute to the increased number of boats and fishermen. To cope with the situation, some fishermen are forced to row deeper into the lake.
Fishing is these fishermen’s main mode of survival, and hence they have to keep doing it.
Some have used the earnings from the trade to school their children and make their lives a little better.
Here’s Lindy Mtongana with the whole story;
