Sustainable tuna fishing in the Maldives - in pictures

Tuna fishing boats, or “dhonis’ at dock side. Crew spend six out of seven days a week on their vessel, living on deck and in the cabin, and fishing from long flat rear of the boat. Photograph: Rosie Magudia

On board, there are about 15 fishermen, some of the whom relax with a coconut in the 32 degree warmth. Fishing is a key source of livelihoods in the Maldives, fishing families and beneficiaries accounting for almost 10% of the entire population. Photograph: IPNLF

Live-bait caught and stored in a water tank in the centre of the boat, is thrown into the sea by “bait masters”. Meanwhile the fishermen stand ready on the boat’s rear to catch tuna. Photograph: IPNLF

The bait free hook fishermen use to catch their fish. One man, one hook, one fish. Photograph: IPNLF

Fishermen stand at the edge of the boat to catch the tuna. In the Maldives, on isolated atolls, more than 70% of people are fishermen. Photograph: IPNLF

An anchor is dropped at the bait fishing grounds where the water is about 150 feet deep. A powerful lamp is shone onto the ocean in order to attract the bait to the surface. The fishermen then wait or take a nap. Photograph: Rosie Magudia.

In the early hours of the morning, fishermen are roused from their sleep to commence the important task of bait fishing. Chosen fishermen enter the dark water with large tyre-tubes for added floatation and use snorkel equipment to help them pull the bait net open in the water column. Photograph: IPNLF

Once the bait have entered the net, the snorkelers drag the net’s edges close to the boat. From here, the bait is scooped into the hold. The weight these fishermen are dragging through the water is sizeable. Moreover, the process is repeated until enough bait is caught. Some nights, nets will need to be drawn up to ten times. Photograph: IPNLF

After another period of sailing in the early hours, tuna fishing starts again as dawn breaks – 6.30am -and continues for a couple of hours. Photograph: Emily Howgate

Tuna from the deck is cleared into the hold, where its covered with ice to prevent histamines developing in the flesh. Photograph: IPNLF

The fishermen sort the tuna back at dockside. Tuna is the Maldives primary export. Photograph: Emily Howgate

The UK is the world’s second largest market for canned tuna. Pole and line tuna’s markets are principally in the UK and Northern Europe, but are also developing in Canada, Australia and will be launched in the US in the near future. Photograph: Rosie Magudia