Jump have created the titles for the new series of 'Toughest Place to be a....' on BBC2. The series consists of 3 programs - each with a different theme. This title is from 'Toughest Place to be a Fisherman'.
For centuries the fertile fishing grounds off Sierra Leone have provided a living for coastal villagers, but unwelcome intruders are now threatening their way of life. Has it become the toughest place to be a fisherman?
Each morning, Ishmael Kain and his cousin Kaba Kain push their canoe from the sandy beach of their tiny fishing village out towards the open sea. Together they furiously paddle the canoe, called a kru, out through the fast-moving breakers - often rising up to four metres high - which form a daunting obstacle on the path to the best fishing grounds.
These coral blue waters are home to large catfish, barracuda and sea bream. In the past they yielded enough fish to feed the village of around 100 people and a small surplus to sell. But not any more. Now the villagers' way of life hangs in the balance.
It is a chance for Ishmael and Kaba to prove what has been happening to Cornish fishing boat skipper Andy Giles who has travelled to Sierra Leone with a BBC film crew. Of course, these guys are not alone in haveing their livelihoods stolen by much bigger vessels working far from home in their waters - see this post on Through the Gaps from last year.
First in the new series, last night's opener featured London dustman Wilbur Ramirez as he worked alongside the local bin men in down-town Jakarta - a humbling experience for the Londoner used to a much higher level of comfort and protection from some of the nastier side of human waste.
Toughest Place to be a Fisherman is on BBC Two at 21:00 GMT on Sunday 5 February or watch online via iPlayer (UK only).
