GB PORTRAITS 17 05 2023
                                         PORTRAITS

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             FISHING RETURN AT PEDRA BADEJO
                    IN THE CAP VERT ISLANDS
Located in the Atlantic Ocean off the  coast of  Senegal and Mauritania and covering an area of 4000 square kilometers, Cap Vert is an  island  state in West Africa composed of an  archipelago  of  10 volcanic  islands  distributed  between  the  north integrating the islands of Barlenvato and further  south  those of  Sotavento  including in particular the 
island of Santiago, which alone concentrates more  than  half  of  the  population of the 
country  where I  Met  Alvarim  PEREIRA , José  DE  CARVALHO  and  Pedro  CARNEIRO fishing craftsmen in PEDRA BADEJO coastal village on the northeast  part  of the island.
"I am of Portuguese origin by my  name PEREIRA  having left  Portugal  with all my family in 1973 to settle here which at the time was a Portuguese colony and have  been living in  PEDRA BADEJO  for 18  years as  a craftsman fisherman with
2 sailors who form our crew » Alvarim  tells  me with a  big smile  while  putting   away a  crate in  the  bottom of his flat-
bottomed boat. »Our fishing is essentially coastal and we  generally  take to  the sea  early in the  morning to come back
before dark and our job is very practiced on this  island where  nearly  one  inhabitant  out of two is  fisherman.Our tradi-
tional fishing technicals are  very  specific,  ranging from  teaser  trolling, also  called  hard lure like that of casting and of
course net fishing. Our flat-bottomed boat allows us to navigate easy at sea but also and above all makes it easier for us
to dock on the beach as soon as we return from fishing, helped in this by other  sailors  and by  the  local population  for
whom fishing is almost an institution » The species we catch are sea bream, horrites and also rock fish such as small red mullets, murades and also yellowfin tuna or yellowfin tuna which often   represents  a third  of our  catches and  which is also a good contribution taking into account its selling price and its culinary qualities and our job, certainly, exciting also 
requiress a lot of patience because our schedules  are often  flexible  and our  permanent  attention in  order to  achieve 
good fishing campaigns." José and Pédro tell me while putting away  their  fishing nets  which  will also be the subject of alterations and fittings before their next campaigns.

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I Go To Sea From Four O'Clock Of The Morning

After a return from fishing  at the end  of  the day of  February  18, 2023,  Alvarim, José  and Pedro take me to their ware- house where they store their products before their direct sales in short circuit to tourists and parties in  parallel with the

supply to restaurants in the town of PEDRA BADEJO in addition to the others  municipalities." I have  a job that  requires

a lot of availability because being an fisherman accompanied by 2 sailors requires a  permanent presence  on the fishing

grounds to earn a good living, generally going to sea around four  o'clock  of the  morning while  taking into account the 

risks and climatic pollution and also the storms that prevent us from going to sea » Alvarim tells me while introducing    

me to his wife Suzy who manages the administrative and account  services ."The substantial  size for an  average weight of about 50 kilos but it also happens that catches reach 100 kilos.Our profession remains at  the craftsman stage but we

also take care, even at our level, to control our catches and the quality  of our  fishing in  order  to  preserve the  species

helped in this also by  the  regulations  of the  European  institutions, the  Cap Vert  Islands  being  fully   integrated into

Europe". We leave the warehouse to join the market where the merchants are  busy  presenting their  products on  their 

stalls decorated with fresh products and fish and meet passionate men and women who carry out exciting jobs,  what is

more  in  a  maritime  environment  is  always  enriching and this  getaway to  PEDRA BADEJO in the  island of  Santiago

remains a wonderful testimony to this country which also combines the art of living and well-preserved traditions.  

 

Report : GABRIEL PAGE 

Photos credit: GABRIEL PAGE / GETTY IMAGES 

Photos production in 2023 

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