Every year, on the 1st of March in Rodrigues island in the Indian Ocean, the net fishing season in launched. Groups of fishermen and women join forces and set their nets in the wide lagoon to catch fish. In their pirogues, (wooden canoes) they drive the fish towards the nets by banging on the sides of the boats and on the water.
This is an extraordinary opportunity for photographers to catch some stunning shots. The nets are placed by a team while the other boats sail about a mile away where they gather and start pushing the fish towards the nets. As the boats approach, the mullet fish start to jump in or above the nets. This gives the photographer fantastic images to freeze on camera. Suddenly, the fish start to jump all around, and the fishermen are shouting orders. A sort of frenzy takes place as the nets are getting filled with fish. One needs a very fast shutter speed to capture the moments 1/2000 secs. I switched from my 18-250mm to a 500mm to get the most of this experience. The photographer being also on a moving boat makes the shots more delicate and difficult. This event happens very quickly, and one must be ready to shoot without hesitation. Then its time to bring the nets back in the boats and the fish are sent into one of the boats going ashore. Then the nets will be placed again in another part of the lagoon and the whole operation will start again.
About Pascal Lagesse
Pascal Lagesse is a photographer from the island of Mauritius in the Indian Ocean. He is passionate about his work and has been photographing all around the world for the last 10 years. He is also a painter, illustrator and book writer. His main subjects are wildlife photography, macro photography and life events. [Official Website]
