Traditional Fishermen and Oyster Seekers

Living in Banda Aceh (Indonesia), which has numerous coastal areas, allows me to see many activities of coastal communities. Fishermen with their various types of boats are one of the most common things I meet and share in this community.

This time around, I will still be sharing images related to fishermen and boats, but in addition to that, I have also included some images of a traditional oyster seeker. These pictures were taken while I spent my evening under the Krueng Cut Bridge, which stands firmly stretched over the Lamnyong River and the downstream part of the Krueng Aceh River. As the river is located close to the sea, it is relatively easy to find fishermen passing by using their boats.

The fishermen I found today use small canoe-type boats that are driven by paddling. Unfortunately, while observing the fisherman, I was not able to see the type of fishing gear he was using, as he did not stop to use it, and even the fishing gear was not visible from the boat he was riding in. He paddled his boat leisurely from the side near where I was sitting, towards the center until he passed an oyster seeker.

As he gets closer to the oyster seeker, the fisherman begins to slow down his stroke, ensuring that he does not hit the oyster seeker. This is ensured because the fisherman submerges his hand holding the paddle into the water, which makes the paddle touch the bottom of the water and acts as a manual brake. Interestingly, the oyster seeker didn't seem the least bit panicked, instead casually continuing her oyster-seeking activities.

After adjusting the boat's direction and making sure that it would not hit the oyster seeker, he then paddled back past the oyster seeker. For a moment, I saw the fisherman turning his head back, I don't know if he was addressing the oyster seeker at that moment or just turning his head back without any intentions.

After the fisherman seemed to be moving away, I shifted my focus to the oyster seeker. She was seen pulling a black bucket that was used as a storage place for the catch. The equipment she used looked safe enough, with gloves to protect her hands, a shirt, and long sleeves, and they would generally wear boat shoes. A little egret is also seen behind her, scouring the waters for food.

Not long after, the oyster seeker was seen getting oysters. She casually tossed the oyster into the bucket he had been pulling. Usually, the oysters that have been obtained will be cleaned at the edge of the river, where the meat will be separated from the shell. The meat is then put into a plastic container filled with water, and sold on the roadside near the river.

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That's all the stories I can tell and the pictures I can share on this occasion. Thank you for visiting this post and hope you like it. Feel free to leave your comments, and I would be very happy if you could provide support through reblogs or votes. See you next time!

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All these pictures were taken using Canon SX60HS
and processed through Adobe Lightroom

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