The sea of life
by Rowel Timoteo
The sea of life, is a gift for many generations of fishermen. They work hard, sacrifice many things just to make ways of providing a livelihood for their family. Most of the time, they work in a group casting big nets in the sea hoping to have better opportunities in the sea. Sometimes their journey to the sea entails risks and uncertainties because most of the time they only rely on intuition, some don't have enough knowledge about the changing climate in the sea. Despite the hard-hitting waves and long hours in the water, Sailing fishermen return with their catch before sunset as their family and friends are waiting for their arrival to help them segregate the fishes on the shore while their children are playing.
Their daily journey to the sea with their small-craft and non-motorized wooden boats test their faith, skills, teamwork and focus in the water to catch more fish. It's a gamble, being a fisherman is not an easy job, but they make sacrifices to provide a livelihood for their family while they sell their catch to the streets and in the market.
Generally, a fisherman's life is simple, they celebrate small things, one motivating factor for fishermen striving in life is their aspiration for the education of their children that they are hoping to provide and this is enough reason for them to persevere in life. Returning to the shore with abundant catch or none, The most crucial thing is, that they return to their families safely.
Fishing is one of the primary sources of livelihood for small-scale fishermen and their families living in Rimos No. 5, one of the coastal barangays in Luna, La Union, Philippines.
