Navigating the waters off Peru

Fishermen living around Peru’s largest and oldest port have harvested the sea as a means of survival since the 16th century. Many fear a project to modernize El Callao, transforming it into the most important port on South America’s Pacific coast, will force them to abandon fishing.

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Nov. 29, 2012

A fishing crew heads out on their boliche, the Peruvian term for the boats that are used by fishermen who fish with nets, for an expedition in the Pacific Ocean, off the coast of El Callao, Peru. Development of Peru’s largest and oldest port, to be overseen by a global shipping industry giant based in the Netherlands, will expand operations there over the next couple of years.

Rodrigo Abd / AP

Dec. 1, 2012

A fisherman named Alvaro rows a small boat during a fishing expedition off the coast of El Callao. For fishermen working off Peru’s 1,490-mile coastline, the task at hand can be extremely risky. They know that they cannot trust the sea and recognize that their return to port is never guaranteed.

Rodrigo Abd / AP

Nov. 27, 2012

Fishermen spread out a net for repair at the port in El Callao. Many believe the modernization of the port may have a negative impact on their livelihood, but fishermen also are concerned that overfishing has depleted the waters of scorpion fish, horse mackerel and mullet.

Rodrigo Abd / AP

Nov. 22, 2012

Fishermen unload a net full of anchovies during a fishing expedition in the Pacific Ocean off El Callao.

Rodrigo Abd / AP

Nov. 22, 2012

Fishermen work together to lift a net full of anchovies into their boat during a fishing expedition off the coast of El Callao.

Rodrigo Abd / AP

Dec. 7, 2012

Marvin Vega unloads a crate of anchovies from the holding area of a boliche at the port of El Callao.

Rodrigo Abd / AP

Nov. 29, 2012

Fabricio Tinoco prepares fresh fish for the crew on the Manuelita II fishing boat as they head for the port of El Callao after fishing in the Pacific Ocean.

Rodrigo Abd / AP

Nov. 22, 2012

Birds gather near fishing boats off El Callao. The port is about seven miles west of Lima, the capital.

Rodrigo Abd / AP

Dec. 4, 2012

Walter Richardi naps on the stern of a boat that is headed to a productive fishing area for anchovies.

Rodrigo Abd / AP

Dec. 4, 2012

A single anchovy floats in a pool of water stained with the blood of fish skinned by dock workers.

Rodrigo Abd / AP

Dec. 6, 2012

A dock worker smiles as he rinses off in water contaminated with motor oil, fish blood and garbage at the end of his work day of unloading fish in El Callao.

Rodrigo Abd / AP

Nov. 12, 2012

Dock workers move a crate of freshly caught fish in El Callao.

Rodrigo Abd / AP

Nov. 28, 2012

The remains of fish that were gutted and filleted for customers fill a trash bin to the brim at the Villa Maria del Triunfo, one of the largest fish markets in Lima.

Rodrigo Abd / AP

Dec. 6, 2012

Cyntia de la Cruz sits on a sofa as she takes a smoke break with her colleagues Kimberly, right, and Wendy. The women were unloading crates of fish at the port of El Callao.

Rodrigo Abd / AP

Dec. 4, 2012

Fishermen eat lunch in a boat docked in the port of El Callao after a night of fishing in the Pacific waters.

Rodrigo Abd / AP

Nov. 13, 2012

Fisherman Raymundo Manso smokes a cigarette after docking in El Callao.

Rodrigo Abd / AP

Nov. 27, 2012

Humberto Cova Mendoza, who skins fish for a living, poses for a portrait at the port of El Callao.

Rodrigo Abd / AP

Nov. 30, 2012

A fisherman called Alvaro rows his boat in the Pacific Ocean off the coast of Peru.

Rodrigo Abd / AP

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