Early in the morning, when moist fogs still permeate the air, the old house surrounded by tall and straight palm trees, 64-year-old Seah Tiam Chai sorts out his tools in front of the doorstep, packing them onto his motorcycle and rides to the small jetty nearby in preparation to go out to the sea for prawning. Dozens of small fishing boats are parked in the intertidal zone of the estuary, with mangrove forests all over, the rivershore is not deep, Mr Seah races against time to steer his boat out of the estuary before the tide ebbs. As a layer of golden rays pop up from the horizon, and the sky gradually brightens, the motor of the boat is already ignited, sailing towards the unpredictable sea.
Since his childhood years, Mr Seah has a close relationship with the sea, accompanying his elder brother in deep sea fishing at the age of 10, picking up fishing skills and knowledge from his two elder brothers. When he was 13, he went out to sea alone in a sampan, without an engine in the olden days, rowing manually and cast a net to catch fish and prawns. Mr Seah is much experienced in sailing at sea, in his 50 years of fishing he used fishing nets of various sizes, catching different fishes according the different mesh sizes. In his youth he used to steer a fishing boat with medium horsepower, often witnessing and experiencing pirate attacks, being robbed off the fish that he worked hard to catch, the industry having a high degree of risk. Among all risks, natural hazards especially storms are beyond control.
The opposite shores invisible across the boundless blue sea, the five-metre long fishing boat seems extremely meagre, unable to withstand slightly stronger waves, even more at a loss against the sudden occurence of natural hazards. Any storms or strong waves cause direct harm to a fisherman’s production, and even life. Mr Seah’s fishing boat is not big, with sufficient room for three persons, with the addition of fishing tools and operation, the narrow boat has barely room for one to two persons to move about. Hence usually Mr Seah works alone, fishing at sea on his own.
After deciding on a suitable spot, he starts to cast prawning nets piece by piece into the sea. Twenty pieces of prawning nets forming into a fishing net, laying horizontal in the sea, the half-kilometre long shaped net drifting along with the tides, when fish and prawns pass through they will be caught in the mesh, this traditional and widely used fishing method is named: Gillnetting. Due to the fishing net being set up on the migration pathway of the schools of fish, catching them all regardless of size. An hour afterwards, Mr Seah draws up the net, keeping the prawns that are entangled on the mesh fresh by freezing them with ice, the rest of the fish will be further processed upon returning to the jetty.
Besides the unpredictable natural factors, industrial development in recent years brought upon environmental damage, endangering the fishing industry in Chuah area, especially with the construction of two power stations at the seaside. The lessening of mangrove forests and the changes in water quality caused reduction or damage to the natural habitat of prawns, directly impacting Mr Seah and his livelihood, the amount of his catch declined more than a half from usual. The fishing industry which faced higher risks than the general industries on the ground is dealt with a heavier blow.
The open-minded and optimistic Mr Seah does not wish for riches, nor did he encourage his children to work in the fishing industry. He leads a rustic life in the 50-year-old cottage which houses three generations, enjoying delightful family times with his wife and granddaughter.
Text: Daniel Lim & Pua Hui Wen
有你 UNI Production
Producer : Mok Yii Chek
Coordinator : Daniel Lim
Cinematographer : Amelia Lim /Evon Pang
Drone : Daniel Lim
Video Editor : Michael Lerk
Production Assistant : Michael Lerk
Music : Peder B. Helland – Our Journey from YouTube
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