Off the
coast of Ancona, the fishing ships Ulder and Mirage use the mid-water plagic
trawl technique in which the net is cast by two ships working as a pair and
drawn in by alternating between them. Flocks of seagulls swoop down to catch
the fish that escape the nets. Buffeted by the waves, the ships come
dangerously close, their hulls striking each other. The fishermen's faces are
marked by deep wrinkles, their hands immersed in ice, and their backs bent as
they work.
