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Photo: Leia Onofrey
“I am earning less [than I was when I started scalloping] and paying more. These are reasons a lot of fishermen are trying to switch fields or pursue new careers.”
Francisco “Chiquinho” Almeida
Chiquinho is a Cape Verdean-American scalloper, originally from São Nicolau. In this excerpt, he describes the many jobs he held before scalloping, including working as a tugboat operator and a cook on a ground-fishing boat. He recalls learning how to shuck scallops, defines the difference between open and closed areas, and laments the effect of government regulations and inflation on his pay, the number of days he can go out scalloping, and the number of scallops he can bring in. He describes the roles and ethnic and linguistic background of his crew, and how profits are split among the boat owner, captain, and crew.
This interview was originally conducted in Kriolu.
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Background Information:
Many waterfront workers have nicknames like “Chiquinho.” In his interview, Chiquinho explains that fishermen are not paid a salary or a wage, instead the seven-man crew shares the profits and the costs. Currently, the price of scallops has decreased while the cost of fishing (fuel, ice, and food) has increased. Regulations are also reducing profits. Each year, the federal government sets catch limits allocating a certain number of open area days where scallopers can catch as much as they want and a certain number of trips into closed areas where their catch is limited by weight.
