Traditional Madel beach-seine net operations: co-op winch rowing and fish sorting laws?
3 Answers from travellers
Beach seining (Madel) is an ancient, cooperative coastal fishery regulated under specific Department of Fisheries territorial padu allocations. A massive non-motorized wooden boat (Madel Oruwa) rowed by 8 to 10 oarsmen launches past the beach breakers at dawn, deploying a giant U-shaped net measuring up to 2.5 kilometers with long coir rope wings and a dense mesh central cod-end (madiya). Two teams of 15 to 30 workers standing on the sand haul the ropes in manually over three to four hours. Mesh sizes at the bag are strictly regulated (minimum 28mm) to allow juvenile fingerlings to escape, targeting coastal scads, sardines, and anchovies.
If sea turtles are encircled inside the incoming bag, fishing crews are legally required to stop hauling, open the lead-line, and assist the reptiles back into the open sea.
Surfers and swimmers must keep clear of the active hauling lanes; swimming through submerged coir lead lines presents severe underwater entanglements.
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