Chinese fishingnets { 25 images } Created 6 Dec 2018
The Chinese fishing nets at the harbour of Fort Cochin are fixed land based installations for an unusual form of fishing.
Huge mechanical contrivances hold out horizontal nets up to 20m or more across. Each structure is at least 10 m high and compromises a cantilever with an outstretched net suspended over the sea and large stones suspended from ropes as counterweight at the other end.
Each installation is operated by a team of up to six fishermen.
The system is sufficiently balanced that the weight of a man walking along the main beam is sufficient to cause the net to descend into the sea.
The net is left for a short time, a few minutes, before it is raised by pulling on ropes.
Rocks, each 30 cm or so in diameter are suspended from ropes of different lengths. As the net is raised, some of the rocks one by one come to rest on a platform thereby keeping everything in balance.
The Chinese fishing nets have become a very popular tourist attraction.
Fort Cochin, Kerala, India 2013
©Ingetje Tadros
Huge mechanical contrivances hold out horizontal nets up to 20m or more across. Each structure is at least 10 m high and compromises a cantilever with an outstretched net suspended over the sea and large stones suspended from ropes as counterweight at the other end.
Each installation is operated by a team of up to six fishermen.
The system is sufficiently balanced that the weight of a man walking along the main beam is sufficient to cause the net to descend into the sea.
The net is left for a short time, a few minutes, before it is raised by pulling on ropes.
Rocks, each 30 cm or so in diameter are suspended from ropes of different lengths. As the net is raised, some of the rocks one by one come to rest on a platform thereby keeping everything in balance.
The Chinese fishing nets have become a very popular tourist attraction.
Fort Cochin, Kerala, India 2013
©Ingetje Tadros