One good reason for the beach

fishing

I'm not going to pretend anymore. I don't like going to the beach! There I said it. I might like it if I didn't have to take Madge's kids who cover me in sand and make it so that I can't relax, always waiting for them to either run away or fall under the water or wanting to be carried across the sand (a sport more tiring than beach football, I can assure you). I love sea air, I love relaxing by the sea, I would love to spend a whole day by the sea, reading a good book, eating nice things, sleeping. But these days it is a sandfilled, poopy nightmare (auntie Vit, auntie VIT, I have to POOOOOO!). No chance for a decent swim (daddy, daaddy, DADDY! auntie Vit is escaping/drowning!!!!).

BUT, one thing makes it worth going in the evening... sunset fishing. A horde of men and a scattering of women come down to the water's edge dragging the fishing boat by tractor, they put out to sea, struggling to get the boat off the sand and then over the small but difficult waves. They almost disappear in the glare of the setting sun, going out to sea by, I don't know, 500 metres, a kilometre, then return having rowed in a semicircle. Then every one left on the beach watches as, with tractors and muscle, they haul in the huge net that they had left catching fish in the sea. It's all very exciting, especially if you are me, or you are five years old. The whole process takes a good hour, with a gang per fishing boat of about twelve people, going out to sea, hauling in, winding ropes and nets, when finally the catch comes in. About six boxes of fish, what look like carapau to me. The fish thrash about in the edge of the sea, making it boil and the children shriek with glee (ooh, glee). It is a great spectacle. But I am left wondering that this is a costly enterprise, so many men, so few fish. Where 's the profit? I know fishing isn't a great earner, and these guys seem to put in good two hours of work, for not much fish; I can't believe each of them earns much more than €10 from that catch. Can anyone enlighten me?