Why Do Fisherman Want Palm Fronds?
September 29th, 2007, 9 Comments »
While my parents were visiting last month, they spotted fishermen loading palm fronds into their small fishing boats before heading out. They later asked me what they used them for. I had no idea.
Today, coincidentally, I learned why they need the palm fronds. Can you guess?
UPDATE: Filmgoerjuan did not guess, but he found the correct answer nonetheless. The fish in the photo is called a lampuki. From Wikipedia:
Fishermen cut and gather the larger, lower fronds from palm trees which they then weave into large flat rafts. The rafts are pulled out to sea with small boats. During midday lampuki school underneath the rafts, seeking the shade. The fishermen use large mesh nets to catch the schooling lampuki. The fishing method has not changed significantly since Roman times.
Here’s a Geocities page with some photos of fishermen weaving the rafts together.
That said, I also really like Heather’s idea about pirate hats. “Arrrr! Where be the lampuki?”