Fisherwomen
Posted by Andrew via Email at 04:20 PM, September 06, 2004
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| (C) Greenpeace |
Today we visited Tanagai village to talk with Ana Fouagale. She is a fisherwoman, which is rare outside the Solomons, but common here, where women do quite a large share of the work.
Sometimes she goes out in the bay with a boat to catch tuna, and sometimes she uses a bamboo pole to fish on the reef beside her village. She also goes spear fishing, which she says is best at night because the fish sleep, and you can spear them easily. The first time she went fishing was when she was seven. It was her father who taught her, and her husband who teaches their five sons. But she says that sometimes it's the women who teach. Ana has one daughter - too young to fish yet, maybe she will teach her.
Ana's not the only fisherwoman we've met. Just in town, at a fish market where many local women sell their catch, I met May who takes her 15-year-old granddaughter fishing with her. And Erica who also sells her fish there, which she catches with her husband George.
Of course I tried asking them who is better at fishing - men or women - but the women always just laughed. I finally got an answer from Ana, who didn't hesitate to say, "Women is best. Woman can do anything". Then I asked Ana if there's any difference between the amount of fish she catches now, compared to years past. She said, "same same", explaining there is no difference. A good sign for the fish in this bay at least.
Maybe it's worth noting that the Solomons prohibits industrial fishing vessels (like purse seiners) from fishing within 12 miles of shore, and that we are right next to Honiara, the capitol and home to the Forum Fisheries Agency - meaning Ana's fishing ground is more closely watched than most.
