Marine ecologists and conservationists believe that the biggest single threat to marine ecosystems today is overfishing. Our appetite for fish is exceeding the oceans’ ecological limits with devastating impacts on marine ecosystems. Scientists are warning that overfishing results in profound changes in our oceans, perhaps changing them forever. Whilst thousands of boats legally empty the seas of fish thousands more illegally do the same. It is a problem that is a global issue but one that is exceedingly hard to remedy.
But not only is sea life that is at risk but also communities that have relied on fishing for centuries. These communities often fish in a sustainable way but are unable to compete and survive against larger and more technologically advanced boats that extract fish at a shocking rate. Not only is it an ecological issue but also one that is leading to the vanishing of traditions and livelihoods. Will humans be able to change their eating habits before it is too late to allow the oceans to regenerate?
Over the years I have photographed both sides of this coin, the trawlers hauling tonnes at a time and the communities that survive from them. This portfolio is a collection of those images taken in Africa and Asia.
The Gulf of Thailand at dawn seen from a fishing trawler as it returns to shore.
Rayong, Thailand
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Thai fishing trawler boats leave for the ocean in the late afternoon and will return the following morning.
Phuket Island, Thailand
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Burmese fishermen set off for a night on a Thai fishing trawler. Thailand is the third largest exporter of fish in the world after China and the US. Its fishing fleet is vast, but years of unregulated trawling has causes incredible damage to fish stocks.
Phuket Island, Thailand
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Cambodian fishermen empty a large trawler net that has been dragged all night catching everything in its path. A 3 kilometer nursery zone exists around the whole coastal region of Thailand, but this is often ignored as punishments are lenient and as a result the catches have more than halved in recent years.
Chonburi, Thailand
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Thai workers pull tuna into nets in the hold, where the temperature is minus 22 degrees Celsius. The large ship is docked just outside Bangkok and will spend one week unloading hundres of tonnes of tuna. Each frozen skipjack carcass weighs about 40 kilograms (88 pounds); one ton of skipjack fetches about $1,600 on the wholesale market.
Samut Prakan, Thailand
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Middle men, vendors and buyers all congregate at Gambia's largest fish market of Tanji every morning and afternoon after small African pirogues bring fish back to shore from the Atlantic.
Tanji, The Gambia
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In the Gulf of Thailand a Thai fishing trawler uses lights to attract a certain type of fish to the surface before dropping the net.
Phuket Island, Thailand
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Cambodian fishermen sort out the catch as the trawler boat races to shore after a night of dragging the net. He holds one of the few fish caught, the majority of the catch were very small fish.
A 3 kilometer nursery zone exists around the whole coastal region of Thailand, but this is often ignored as punishments are lenient and as a result the catches have more than halved in recent years.
Chonburi, Thailand
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The fishing community of a remote Indonesian Island perform the ceremony of 'Misa Arwah' on the beach. It is held once a year to commemorate those who died fishing and local fishing families light candles and place them all over the beach. It is small traditional fishing communities such as this that are effected by over-fishing due to large trawlers.
Lembata Island, Indonesia
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Tonnes of fish are unloaded from boats, sold, packaged then reloaded on to trucks for distribution everyday at Yangon's largest fish market on the outskirts of the city.
Yangon, Myanmar
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Men carrying fish in basin's on their heads bring todays catch to the beach at Tanji's fish market. Every morning and afternoon African pirogues bring fish back to shore from the Atlantic. The fish are then immediately bought by customers and middle-men creating chaotic scenes involving hundreds of people. But trawling by large foreign vessels of The Gamboia's coast has lead to a reduced catch for these local fishermen.
Tanji, The Gambia
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A husband and wife team selling recently caught fish rest above todays catch at Yangon's largest fish market on the outskirts of the city.
Yangon, Myanmar
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Men pulling carts ladden with ice, carrying boxes of fish and shouting out prices all leads to chaotic scenes at Yangon's largest fish market on the outskirts of the city.
Yangon, Myanmar
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Burmese fishermen working all night on a Thai fishing trawler boat off the coast of Phuket pull in the net.
Gulf of Thailand
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A catch of large sail fish is being unloaded from a Thai fishing trawler by Burmese fishermen at Phuket's main fishing port.
Phuket, Thailand
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Early morning activities as fishing boats unload their catch at Sassoon Docks in Southern Mumbai. One of the oldest docks in the city and was built in 1875 on reclaimed land by the banking and mercantile company David Sassoon & Co. It was the first commercial wet dock in western India and helped establish the cotton trade.
Mumbai, India
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A local man hangs fish on long racks to dry them in the sun. This area on India's west coast is famous for its dried fish.
Dahanu, India
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Fish are unloaded from large Thai fishing trawlers and sorted ready to be sold at Phukets main harbour.
Phuket, Thailand
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Burmese middlemen count large wads of money made from selling fish. Tonnes of fish are unloaded from boats, sold, packaged then reloaded on to trucks for distribution everyday at Yangon's largest fish market on the outskirts of the city.
Yangon, Myanmar
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A Cambodian fishermen sorts the net, clinging on to the side of this Thai trawler boat as it ploughs through the darkness. Thailand is the third largest exporter of fish in the world after China and the US. Its fishing fleet is vast, but years of unregulated trawling has causes incredible damage to fish stocks.
Chonburi, Thailand
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A large fishing trawler unloads is catch caught the night before. This ammount of fish comes from just one boat and with tens of thousands of boats the Gulf of Thailand's fish stocks have been seriously depleted.
Silapacha, Thailand
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Behind Gambia's largest fish market at Tanji is a collection of fish smoking buildings. For centuries fish have been smoked here and either sold domestically or exported to other parts of North Africa, particularly Nigeria. Caught in the Atlantic, the fish are smoked for days after which they can be kept without refrigeration for months.
Tanji, The Gambia
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Not only fish are caught by net dragging trawlers but also shells. This man came to purchase the shells caught up in the nets of a Thai trawler to sell as souvenirs to tourists,
Phuket, Thailand
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A Burmese man picks a recently caught fish from a box to show a customer at Yangon's largest fish market on the outskirts of the city.
Yangon, Myanmar
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On the beach at Tanji is Gambia's largest fish market. Every morning and afternoon African pirogues bring fish back to shore from the Atlantic. The fish are then immediately bought by customers and middle-men creating chaotic scenes involving hundreds of people.
Tanji, The Gambia
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An Indian women prepares shrimp to dry in the sun in a remote fishing community of India's west coast.
Dahanu, India
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A Burmese fisherman takes a quick nap before starting work on a fishing net as the boat leaves for the open ocean.
Gulf of Thailand, Thailand
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The portrait of a Cambodian fisherman on a night trawler.
Chonburi, Thailand
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Burmese fishermen working all night on a Thai trawler boat off the coast of Phuket. Thailand is the third largest exporter of fish in the world after China and the US. Its fishing fleet is vast, but years of unregulated trawling has causes incredible damage to fish stocks.
A 3 kilometer nursery zone exists around the whole coastal region, but this is often ignored as punishments are lenient. Most fishing is done at night when trawlers, varying in size, leave for the darkness of the sea returning in the morning with their catch that in many cases has more than halved in recent years.
Gulf of Thailand
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Chaotic seens at the dock side harbour as fishing boats unload their catch at Sassoon Docks in Southern Mumbai. It was the first commercial wet dock in western India.
Mumbai, India
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Behind Gambia's largest fish market at Tanji is a collection of fish smoking buildings. For centuries fish have been smoked here and either sold domestically or exported to other parts of North Africa, particularly Nigeria. Caught in the Atlantic, the fish are smoked for days after which they can be kept without refrigeration for months.
Tanji, The Gambia
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Thai workers pull tuna into nets in the hold, where the temperature is minus 22 degrees Celsius. The large ship is docked just outside Bangkok and will spend one week unloading hundres of tonnes of tuna. Each frozen skipjack carcass weighs about 40 kilograms (88 pounds); one ton of skipjack fetches about $1,600 on the wholesale market.
Samut Prakan, Thailand
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Cambodian fishermen sleep as the trawler boat returns to the shore at dawn after a night out at sea.
Ang Sila, Thailand
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A Cambodian fisherman stands on the side of his boat as it returns to harbour after a night in the open ocean.
Chonburi, Thailand
Luke Duggleby Photography
Website of British photographer Luke Duggleby. Based in Bangkok, Thailand, Luke specialises in documentary, travel and portrait photography focusing on Asia.
