When sitting around in the sun here at the seashore of Marsaxlokk there is nothing more pleasant than watching the fishermen, and women, at their work of disentangling and organising their fishing nets, it is time consuming work, taking hours. The nets in this case are called trammel nets, local name is Parit, these nets are used during the winter months to catch several different types of fish. Ian struck up a conversation with some local fishermen the other day and we heard interesting stories about their lives, their hardships (fishing restrictions stipulated by the E.U.), and they answered the question of why the Luzzu (the beautiful, colourful, and traditional small fishing boats) have got two motors on board, the latter is supposed to be in case one of the motors falls out, so as not to have to miss out on their fishing for the day, and so their income. I love these little Luzzu boats, their colours are vibrant, making the whole harbour look very picturesque. The eyes (eye of Osiris) on both sides of the bow is supposed to be dating back to ancient Phoenician times and the custom of calling for protection from evil. It sure looks that way and it looks interesting.
Fishing is not a very large industry in Malta it seems, and this village, being Marsaxlokk is one of the largest fishing villages in the country.  As you can see, every bit of space is used to sort these trammel nets.