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In Ngor, Senegal, the old fisherman Bayedjip sees his pirogue empty all too often. The waters that are reputed to be the richest in fish in the world have long since been plundered by industrial fishing. As he sets off alone to catch the great blue marlin by hand, his young nephews try to find solutions
At 70, Bayedjip is the oldest fisherman in Ngor, Senegal. A charismatic and tutelary figure, his story embodies the gradual dispossession of Senegalese waters by the fishing industry. Every morning, he sets out to sea, alone in his pirogue, in the hope of catching what remains of an impoverished ocean. Ready to let go of his line, fate offers him a providential encounter: the great blue marlin, 700 kg of life force, a legendary animal. Of the Lebou ethnic group, Bayedjip is the Santiago of Hemingway’s novel (The Old Man and the Sea) with one difference. From his earliest childhood, he learned the humility needed to face the sea. In this struggle to provide for his family, will Bayedjip have the strength to venture further and further out to sea in search of fish?