清晨，空气中仍弥漫着潮湿的雾水，直立高大的油棕树将老屋包围，门前64岁谢添财摸黑打定着用具，装上摩托骑向不远处的小码头，准备出海捕虾。十来艘小型渔船停泊在河口潮间带，四周一片红树林，河岸不深，谢先生争分夺秒得在潮水退去前，将渔船开出河口。当海平线呈现一层橘黄色，天空逐渐光亮，船只上引擎已经发动，迈向变幻莫测的大海。
谢添财自幼与海相伴，10岁时随同哥哥出海捕鱼，从大哥和二哥身上学习捕鱼技巧与知识。更在13岁那年独自出海，在早年没有引擎的小舢舨，手划划桨，下网捕捞鱼虾。谢先生出海历练丰富，50年捕鱼经验的他曾使用过不同尺寸的渔网，按不同大小的网目以捕捞不同的渔产。年轻时也曾驾驶中型马力的渔船，并多次目睹及经历海盗袭击，劫走辛苦捕获的鱼货，行业风险甚高。其中自然风险更是不可抗拒的因素，尤其风浪。
蔚蓝色的海面一望无际，不见对岸，一艘五米长的渔船显得格外渺小，不足以抵抗稍大的风浪。在突如其来的自然灾害面前更显得束手无策。任何暴风雨或大风浪，将直接危害渔夫的生产，甚至生命。谢先生的渔船不大可容纳3人，若是加上捕鱼用具与作业，在狭窄的船身之间仅足以一、至两人的活动。谢先生通常都是一人，独自在海上作业。
在确定合适的地点后，便开始把一片接一片的捕虾网设于海中。20片捕虾网衔接成一道鱼网，横放海中，近半公里的长条状鱼网随海流移动，当鱼虾穿越时将被网目或网衣缠络，这种传统及广泛使用的捕鱼法称为：流刺网捕捞。由于鱼网设置在鱼群洄游通路上，不论大小鱼虾都全部落网。一小时后，谢先生将渔网捞起，并将缠在网上的虾用冰水冷藏保鲜，其他小鱼则返回码头才进行处理。
除了无法预测的自然因素，近年工业发展所带来的的环境破坏，使得朱湖区（Chuah）一带的渔业遭受损害，尤其临近两座发电厂的兴建。红树林和水质的变化，虾只栖息地减少或毁坏，谢添财身受其害，捕获量比往常锐减一半。让这份风险已经远大于一般陆地行业的渔业，如雪上加霜。
豁达乐观的谢添财先生不求富贵荣华，也不鼓励孩子往渔业发展。在住了三代的50年老屋简朴生活着，享受与太太和孙女的一家之乐。
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 prawn fishing. 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 prawn fishing nets piece by piece into the sea. Twenty pieces of prawn fishing nets forming into one big 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.
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文 Text/ 林汇川 Daniel Lim & 潘慧雯 Pua Hui Wen
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