An environmentally friendly way to fish tuna.
In the Azores, they focus on keeping tuna fishing sustainable and responsible. They therefore only fish with sustainable methods and for tuna that is not threatened by overfishing.
The men fish and the women take care of the catch, that is how it has traditionally been. In the picture, they are seen in full swing fishing for tuna on one of the vessels, where, in order to attract tuna, they spray seawater into the surface of the water. The method imitates shoals of small fish and frees the fishermen from first having to catch small fish and then again throw them out to the tuna. Pole and line fishing thus does not damage stocks of small fish or predict bycatch, as when the commercial fleets seine and haul entire food chains of fish on board to use only parts of them.
It is an art to fish with pole and line, and it is not without reason that Azores fishing is certified 'Pole & Line' . The fishermen have mastered this technique, and fishing with rod and line is a tradition passed down through generations. The schools of tuna are spotted with binoculars and when the boat approaches, the engine is turned off and water sprinklers are turned on to simulate movement from the small fish the tuna are chasing. Here the Azores rule applies; 1 man, 1 fishing rod, 1 hook and 1 tuna. With this method, the fisherman can catch the desired tuna, and he avoids bycatch and harming the marine environment.
