The Fishermen of Kalba

Kalba is located on the eastern coast of the United Arab Emirates and is perched on the Gulf of Oman, looking out toward Pakistan and India beyond.

The town has become a hub for the craft of weaving fishing cages, attracting dozens of Afghans and Pakistanis seeking to earn a living in the calm and oil-rich Gulf nation.

At the crack of dawn, along Kalba beach, you’ll stumble upon fishermen preparing large nets to be used for fishing. They will then load the nets onto a boat and cast it a mile out to the sea and to be pulled back to the beach by a winding machine in their Toyota pickup trucks.

Meandering for a good 7km along Kalba’s coastline, the beach is often scattered with picnickers and fishermen and their Toyota trucks.

At the crack of dawn, along Kalba beach, you’ll stumble upon fishermen originating from Goa, India or Bangladesh, preparing the large nets to be used for fishing. The nets are then loaded onto the boats to be cast out a mile out to sea. After a few hours the nets are then pulled back to the beach by ropes attached to their Toyota pickup trucks.

The fish is then sorted out on the beach, before being transported to be sold at the local fish market.