This long-term reportage documents the lives of the fishermen of Mola di Bari, my hometown, capturing a profession and way of life increasingly at risk of disappearing. Deeply rooted in the town’s identity, artisanal fishing now exists on the margins, threatened by economic pressures, environmental changes, and generational rupture.

Since 2022, I have immersed myself in the fishermen’s daily routines, building relationships based on trust, time, and shared experience. Access to their boats and personal spaces was granted gradually, through patience and mutual respect.

This closeness allowed me to document not only the physical labor of fishing but also the emotional weight carried by these men—the solitude at sea, the solidarity among crews, and the resilience in the face of an uncertain future.