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Maldives Sustainable Fishing
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by KATKA LAPELOSOVÁ
In the Maldives, Dining is Strictly Ocean to Table
“Have you ever eaten octopus before?” freediving expert Hasan Sunil asks as he bobs up and down in the water a short distance from our dinghy.
“Yes, it’s fantastic,” I reply with excited honesty. I’ve had baked octopus in Portugal – the kind that melts in your mouth alongside buttery potatoes – and grilled octopus in Greece, so perfectly charred I dream about it sometimes. It’s one of my favorite things to eat, especially abroad. “Yes, but have you ever eaten fresh octopus?” Sunil repeats. I don’t have time to answer before he disappears into the water; I take a deep breath and follow.
Snorkeling is the focus of my first trip to the Maldives, where I’ve left the island resorts and overwater bungalows to the honeymooners and families, opting instead for the versatility of a week-long GAdventures cruise. Our vessel, The Sea Farer, is no less luxurious than the resorts with spacious cabins, modern furnishings, a full bar, and plenty of open deck space for sunbathing. An onboard chef serves three meals a day, everything from pasta and baked chicken, to fish curries, and even local dishes like mas huni, which is made from shredded tuna, coconut, chilis, and onion, and served for breakfast with roshi flat bread.
Twice a day we swim amongst clown fish, sea turtles, lobsters, and even sharks. Raised in the Maldives, Sunil has been freediving since he was a child. He claims he can hold his breath for almost two full minutes, which enables him to make a living diving and pointing out sea life for snorkelers like me. Today, he excitedly points to an octopus hiding in her cave before he begins his pursuit.
I feel slightly weird about “hunting” our dinner, but Sunil has assured me that this is just one part of the fishing protocol to which Maldivians have adhered for centuries. When he emerges, he holds the body of an octopus in his right hand, tentacles wrapping around his upper arm as he swims back to the dingy.
He can’t contain his excitement. “This is a big one … it will feed the whole crew tonight,” he smiles broadly, as Aram, the dingy driver, grabs a bucket to contain the invertebrate. “She was hard to catch,” Sunil adds. “They are so quick and they camouflage themselves well.”
Food sustainability experts have long cited the Maldives as one of the best examples of sustainable fishing in the world. The small population size, fewer than 600,000, certainly reduces the chance of overfishing. The small size of the islands also contributes to the lack of large fisheries and aquaculture. Out of 1,200 islands, only 200 are inhabited. Many of those are home to solitary resorts that generate far more for the economy than farmed fish would.
A third factor is the sustainable fishing methods that are passed down from generation to generation. Most locals still use “pole and line” techniques. Free divers, like Sunil, are skilled at catching sea creatures with their bare hands.
With the octopus now aboard, Aram maneuvers our dinghy to a sand bar that is less than a quarter of a mile long and rimmed with coral and seashells that have washed up on the waves. Sunil takes the octopus out of the bucket and cleans it, tossing the inedible parts in the ocean. “It’s food for seagulls and sharks,” he explains. “Nothing goes to waste here, not any piece.”
Back on the ship, I inquire about the typical Maldivian diet. “All fish we eat is fresh caught,” Sunil says as we wait for the chef to prepare the octopus. “But we really don’t eat a lot of fish like you would think.” He goes on to explain that demand for seafood runs high in the Maldives, even at local markets.
Certain types of tuna are plentiful and yield a lot of meat, so the price remains low enough for the locals to eat. Octopus are much harder to catch, and thus, more expensive. “In the local market, an octopus this size might be as much as $100,” he says. “Maybe even more like $125, or $150.”
So we’re in for a treat as the chef places our dinner on the dining table. The octopus has been prepared with peppers, onions, and a satisfying sweet and sour sauce. Sunil, of course, is grinning again as he samples the result of his chase. “You are so lucky,” he repeats over and over between mouthfuls. “You’ll never have fresh octopus like this again.”
