A tuna fish's sharp yellow fin protrudes from shredded ice at the Cyprea Marine Foods processing factory on Himmafushi Island, Maldives. The 50kg carcasses have been swimming across the Indian Ocean non-stop since birth and having just been line-caught by freelance boat crews who share profits for only high-quality fish that passes stringent health tests. The tuna has been encased in ice since being landed at sea to keep a low-temperature body core so the workers cut out the prime flesh as quickly as possible before boxing the resulting chunks of steak for export by air to Europe and in particular for customers such as UK's Sainsbury's supermarket. The Sri Lankan butchers are ex-fishermen and widowers, having lost their families during the Tsunami. Using extremely sharp knives, they skillfully remove valuable meat and throw away the rest.
Add to Cart Add to Lightbox Download