On the desert coast of Western Australia a handful of fishers are bucking the trend towards commercialisation by deliberately keeping their fishing operations small and simple.
Net fishers in Shark Bay, 800 kilometres north of Perth, believe maintaining simple fishing operations is the key to preserving the area's fish stocks — and their lifestyle.
Long-time Shark Bay local, Glen Hoult, is among the declining number of people who still fish using nets.
Like most fishers in Shark Bay, Mr Hoult learnt the craft from his father.
"I left school in 1975 and went straight [to] fishing with my father," he said.
"We'd been out on the boat since we could walk so we knew what to do, it was just a matter of putting it into action — with a bit of effort."
Hauling in a catch by hand
Using eyes honed by a lifetime at sea, fishers like Mr Hoult cruise the nature-rich shallow waters in their jetboats, looking for schools of whiting, bream and mullet.
If they spy a suitable school they set up nets and began hauling in their catch by hand.
"It depends on the tides and the weather, but you just hop in your jetboat and go looking for fish until you can find some," Mr Hoult said.
"If you've got enough, you come home and if you haven't you stay out for a night or two.
"You can't textbook it. You can't go and read a book and say 'Well now, I know how to fish'.
"The practical side of it will tell you what you can and can't do."
An ocean way of life
Net fishing is hard physical work and rising prices mean it is harder to make a living. But in Shark Bay, fishing is not so much a job as a way of life.
"We're in the wrong game if we want to become millionaires, but we've got a pretty good lifestyle so we put a fair value on that," Mr Hoult said.
Early Shark Bay fishers remember their days at sea fondly and retiree Jimmy Polland said he loved his days on the ocean.
"I enjoyed the fishing because I was young and fishing was just like playing," he said.
"We used to run the nets and enjoy fishing because it was not hard work."
Declining fish stocks
Despite the enviable lifestyle, the younger generation have not yet been following in their fathers' footsteps.
Rising prices and a decline in fish stocks from a marine heatwave in 2010 has meant it has been harder to earn a living.
It may not be long before this style of fishing dies out.
"There's a couple [of the next generation] that are interested because they want to come back for the lifestyle that they grew up with as kids," Mr Hoult said.
"But right at the minute let's hope we can build up the stock a bit before they come back.
"I think most of them are better off where they are right at the minute."
