The Tales of Three Young Fishermen of Maldives
Fishing is the second largest economic activity carried out in the Maldives. Since the time of our ancestors, it has been considered as the lifeblood of our people. The Maldivian waters are home to an abundance of aquatic life and thousands of species of fish, ranging from small types such as snapper, squirrel fish, and parrot fish to large pelagic fish like grouper, giant trevally, and tuna. We are well-known for being big at the fishing game.
To celebrate the hard work of fisherman and the crucial role they play in our community, a Fisherman’s Day was marked on a national level for the first time in the 1981, on this day. We convey our warm regards to all our local fisher folk on the day and thank them for their continuous services.
As much as we would like to glorify and talk about fisherman and the fisheries industry, we must also face the fact that a large part of our modern community sees the field as one for persons of lower class or academic qualifications. Consequently, youngsters nowadays refrain from committing to a career in the field however, recently, we have seen an increase in the number of young people taking upon active roles in the fisheries industry. In celebration of the 40th National Fishermen’s Day, we bring you the stories of three young people who are happy to go against this prejudice. We hope these tales somehow interest youth and also generally other people to pursue their careers in the field!
Ibrahim Iyad from the island of Faresmaathoda (18 Years)
Ibrahim Iyad began his career as a fisherman just earlier this year, at the age of mere 17. Although he initially made the choice due to unavailability of jobs due to the COVID-19 pandemic, he has presently lost all interest in the pursuit of another job.
He stresses on a common misconception amongst people deeming fishing as an extremely difficult task which he counters that with proper equipment and expansion of the sector, it is a field of convenience.
According to Iyad, his family is also very supportive of his career choice, especially his father, who used to be a fisherman. His father was a famous skipper in the island and Iyad hopes to follow the same path.
Ahmed Migdhaam Mohamed from the island of Gemanafushi (17 years)
Ahmed Migdhaam Mohamed, 17 years-old, claims that pursuing a career in the industry was the best decision he had ever made. Migdhaam who initially aspired to become a chef was unable find a matching course which would guide him in the path. When he finally decided to pursue a career as a fisherman, many of his friends and acquaintances did not see it as a respectable career. His biggest inspiration in walking this path was the inspiration story of a renowned young fisherman; Hassan Saajin known as ‘Zuvaan Masveriya’.
Having some experience in reef fisheries, it took Migdhaam time and effort to get accustomed to what his practicing at present, skipjack tuna fishing. He shares that he always interested in learning more about the fish culture. He also hopes to become a skipper and also aspires to lead a fishing team one day.
Sham’aan from the island of Mathiveri (17 years)
This 17-year-old is one of the youngest fishermen in his island. He believed that is it an honest way of making a living and a primary field that drives the economy and livelihood of people of the country. Sham’aan goes fishing on a boat which specialized in yellowfin tuna fisheries. His work colleagues share that he is strong and talented and believed that he would easily become a skipper at a speedy pace.
He stresses that is a great field for the youth to engage in and recommends students to go on fishing experience trips during their school holidays.
Sham’aan is extremely thankful for his parents and family for supporting his decision to work in this field.
(Read the full story here)
(Source & Pictures from Fisherme.mv )