A rod to feed his family - Lemalu Malosi

By Vatapuia Maiava 06 October 2016, 12:00AM

As the days get more and more expensive, Lemalu Malosi from the village of Lefaga says that right now it’s better to catch your daily meals rather than buy it from a store.

Aged 58, the fisherman spends much of his days out by the coast catching as much fish as he can to feed his family.

“The reason I come out here is to look for some fish for the family,” he told the Village Voice.

“This is my talent that i use every single day. I come every morning to use my fishing rod. I can fish using any tool. I can use fishing rods, nets, and other traditional types of fishing tools.”

Lemalu’s livelihood is dependent on many factors such as weather, tide and his own personal strength. For this reason, he tries his best to make the most of any opportunity given to him to fish.

“I wake up every morning and make my way out here right away,” he said.

“I try and get here as soon as the tide is good for fishing; that’s the same time. I start from the rocks over there and I make my way here where we are standing now. “My house is just over there.”

But just like many daily activities, Lemalu does have his off days.

“I just caught a fish just now,” he said.

“To be honest, sometimes I catch a lot of fish and other times I only catch one. I measure my time out here according to the sun. If the sun is too hot then it’s better off just staying at home and drinking some water.”

Making as much as $20 a day sometimes; Lemalu does his best to put food on the table using his talents in fishing.

“I have three children, I currently don’t have a job,” he said.

“I stay at home and take care of the family to the best of my ability. We currently don’t have a plantation but we make our living from the sea.

“I go fishing then I sell the fish to get about $20 and that’s enough for the family. The money we get depends on the size of my catches.

“Sometimes I could sell a fish for $30.”

Catching more and spending less is the Lemalus motto.

“We don’t spend much money because the cost of living is way too high for us,” he said.

“Whatever we catch will be used for our meals. We only spend money on Sugar, salt, onions and other things like that. When we have enough money we would even buy a box of chicken.

“For me, I am the only who is able to take care of the family on a day to day basis which is why I am out here every day.

“My fishing rod helps a lot with taking care of the family.”

By Vatapuia Maiava 06 October 2016, 12:00AM

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