Fisherfolk, experts of the sea and the bounty it holds.

Arugam Bay, Sri Lanka / 2021

Photography

Arugam Bay is a small fishing village on the Eastern coast of Sri Lanka, a place where remote wilderness far outweighs human development. At least for now. Here, the fisherfolk rise before the sun and take their boats out to sea.

In the first hours of light, down at the town’s main beach, the fish arrive on land to be caught yet again, this time in a frenzy of bartering. Ox drawn carts carry the bounty off to restaurants. A man sells tea and porridge, offering a hard earned pause. Nets are repaired as preparations begin for tomorrow.

All shapes and sizes, fish are the foundation of the local economy and caloric intake of the community. The fisherfolk who wake up in the darkness day after day, generation after generation, hold a unique knowledge of where we’ve been and where we’re headed.