Maldives is renowned as one of the most exotic tourist destinations in the world. It is no wonder that Maldives tops the list of the most exclusive Sun-Sea-Sand hideouts in the globe. However, less known it is to the outside world, that the ‘Sea’ component denotes the means for lifeblood in this island nation as far back as 10 BC.

For centuries island communities were built and sustained only from the gift of the oceans.  And even today whole communities across the country depend on income from tuna fishery for their livelihood. Thousands of families in the islands build their homes, educate their children and take care of their needs only with income from tuna fishery.

With the exception of the last few decades there has been little or no change in the way fishing is done in the Maldives.

Fishermen go out to sea at the break of dawn in search of schools of tuna. The elderly generation when they first started off they also went on sailing dhonis, and few vessels back then were mechanized. The only difference now is that vessels can travel faster and come back home earlier with a better catch.

Tuna fishery in the Maldives has always followed traditional methods.

Even with a greater degree of commercialization today, fishing vessels are owned by families, the crew is from the island and each dhoni helps sustain several families on an island. There is no industrial fishery as seen in many parts of the world where large companies own several vessels and the fishermen are just their employees.

While there are on average of twelve dhonis operating typically from fishing islands, the vessels belong to as many families. The crew of each vessel is made of people from the community, who form a close bond among themselves looking after each other in times of need.

The fishermen are all stakeholders of the dhoni, who share all the proceeds. The share of the proceeds that go to the boat owner is dependent on what the crew catch during each day of fishing. If fishing is good the whole economy within the community enjoys its rewards.

The Maldives fishery has evolved sustainably during the last four decades. But it is just a case of a highly traditional industry being infused with modern technology and modern live a board conveniences for the crew. Dhonis have grown bigger, they have been mechanized and now they have the facilities to keep the catch in premium condition until they reach the collector vessels or centers of MIFCO where fish is processed and stored.

Most importantly, Maldivian tuna fishery has retained its core characteristics of how fish is caught; each fish caught separately – one fish at a time, as has been done for centuries. Each single tuna caught and exported from Maldives is fished by pole and line. The Maldives pole and line fishery is seen as the most sustainable fishery in the world and is certified as such by the MSC and endorsed by Greenpeace.

“We are pole and line fishermen. We have been able to make a livelihood from fisheries because our forefathers have practiced pole and line fishing, ensuring that the fish stock is not depleted through over fishing.

Even now we have seen fish stocks are dwindling because of purse seine fishery elsewhere in the world. This is threatening our livelihood. We must make the markets aware of our sustainable practices and get better prices, so that so that future generations can make a living out of fisheries as our forefathers did and as we are doing today.” This is the plea of our hardworking fishermen.