Φωτογραφίες

A detail from a drifting longline waiting to be set at sea... A longline consists of a main, relatively thick fishing line and, on this line, thinner lines are tied at ordinary intervals where at the end of each one is tied a hook. In drifting longlines (because there also exist set longlines) a buoy is also tied at regular intervals (e.g. every 3-5 hooks) to make the longline float and the hooks fish close to the sea surface.

The hooks when the longline is out of the water are nailed on the plastic surface of a wide bucket-like plastic barrel (actually this is what we see in the photo). They will be baited and thrown into the water. The longline when thrown will be left to drift with the currents and hopefully one or more swordfish will come, bite and be caught and taken onboard when the fishermen take the longline out (for more info and a relative picture see also the photo "Life and death in the Blue").

Note: The title of the photo is borrowed from a song of Joan Baez that I like very much... As I was looking at the hooks on that day I remembered that song thanks to the sparkles of light on their rusty surface.