Lifestream Fisherman

by Paul Dalde, Tatay Jobo Elizes Pub

(Excerpts )Chapter 7. I am a Fisher Man Boy I was ten years old when I joined actively in organized bay fishing, the fishing net was loaded to large boat with one side only has the outrigger and the other side has none. There will be ten people paddling the boat. At about a 200 meter from the shore line, the net was lowered. The net system has a floater made of kapok tree 4 inches long, cylindrical with hole in the middle for the top side rope to pass through, in every yard and at the opposite side the lower portion of the net were sinkers made of lead, secured at the bottom. The net was methodically lowered to the sea and paddled until all the fishing net were dropped down forming a figure C. In the middle of the figure C was a pocket about 5 meters long from top to bottom forming a big hole with a diameter sized 4 meters. Each end of the net was tied with a large rope and five men were dropped to one end and the five to the other end. It was like a tag of war exercises, ten people, five people each side pulling from each end. Soon the whole village will come to join the pulling. I remained on the bow of the boat to maintain the position of the boat along side of the net and the captain, holding the net, on the middle top of the entrance pocket. As each end of the net reach the shore, each would go slowly forward to bring each side to meet in the middle. The net would encircled the school of fish, and both end were pulled until two sides met. Then they were pulled together as one, until the fish scampered all inside the pocket. The opening of the net is closed as every single fish are in the pocket, the ten people climb back aboard the main boat, two men securing the pocket opening and the rest will position to divide the pocket into four parts, and then slowly load the catches fish to the main boat. The sectioned pocket or 4 parts are to be loaded one after another. The end part of 1/4 would be pulled, untied the pocket end to release the fish into the main boat's hold, then the next part, followed by other until all fish were loaded up. Then the nets were loaded back to the main boat, the ropes were placed on top and paddled the main boat back to home port. There the ropes were removed from the net and placed it to the caddy for drying, next the nets were rolled to the pad for drying; the fish gathered up and partitioned; half was for sale and the other half were shared. The original ten plus the captain and I would share the 3/4 of the share and the remaining1/4 goes to the villagers who help latter on. I also joined harvesting fish in the large fish trap as a regular volunteer. When a fish trap was constructed, the last part was to lay down a net. Beginning at 4:00 AM each day the net was pulled up to harvest the fish trap inside. The configuration was like a giant kite, the tail was 300 to 500 meters long. Both sides has an opening of 5 meters wide or the door opening was 10 meters total. The main body was configure like a kidney, the length was 75 to 100 meters and the width at the middle was 50 meters. A bunker was made an adjunct that can house 10 people inside and a couple of boys like myself to stay and wait. Any time school of fish were trap inside, the tender will blow his horn, the loud sound can be heard a mile away. The original members of this operation will come, be present; otherwise they have a designated substitute to represent the member, and all volunteers were allowed when the maximum required number are not met. The sharing was the same customary practice; half for sale the other half was for share to the members and to the volunteers, in my case a number one option because the head owner is my grand father. Then there was also a "New Look" and kind off shore fish station. The configuration was just square, each side had 3 posts made out of matured large coconut trees total would be 8; the inner post made of bamboo will have a ringlet which had the tied down for the net. (more inside)