Italy’s fishermen still go out to sea at night, but not as frequently in recent weeks since demand is down amid the country's devastating coronavirus outbreak.
As a result, they are barely covering their expenses.
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Italy’s fishermen still go out to sea at night, but not as frequently in recent weeks since demand is down amid the country's devastating coronavirus outbreak.
On sunny days, people would normally be strolling along the wharf of this town near Rome's Leonardo da Vinci airport. But since the Italian government ordered a nationwide lockdown to stop the spread of COVID-19, the area is practically deserted.
While supermarkets and fish shops can participate in the auctions, restaurants are closed during the lockdown, diminishing the demand for their catch.
The harbor is suddenly busy again for the few minutes it takes to unload the fish. The only sounds are the fishermen speaking to each other when the boat comes into port, engine still running, and the wheels of the trolley carrying the fish to the auction house. A television screen set up outside the auction house keeps buyers apart in keeping with government-ordered social-distancing measures.
Follow AP news coverage of the coronavirus pandemic at http://apnews.com/VirusOutbreak and https://apnews.com/UnderstandingtheOutbreak
From left, Francesco Di Bartolomeo, his brother Pasquale and Francesco select fish aboard the trawler Marianna, during a fishing trip in the Tyrrhenian Sea, early Thursday morning, April 2, 2020. Italy’s fishermen still go out to sea at night, but not as frequently in recent weeks since demand is down amid the country's devastating coronavirus outbreak. (AP PhotoAndrew Medichini)
Francesco, right, and Francesco Di Bartolomeo, select fish aboard the trawler Marianna, during a fishing trip in the Tyrrhenian Sea, early Thursday morning, April 2, 2020. Italy’s fishermen still go out to sea at night, but not as frequently in recent weeks since demand is down amid the country's devastating coronavirus outbreak. For one night, the Associated Press followed Pasquale Di Bartolomeo and his crew consisting of his brother Francesco and another fishermen, also called Francesco, on their trawler Marianna. (AP PhotoAndrew Medichini)
Pasquale Di Bartolomeo, left, and Francesco unload a fishing net aboard the trawler Marianna, during a fishing trip in the Tyrrhenian Sea, early Thursday morning, April 2, 2020. Italy’s fishermen still go out to sea at night, but not as frequently in recent weeks since demand is down amid the country's devastating coronavirus outbreak. For one night, the Associated Press followed Pasquale Di Bartolomeo and his crew consisting of his brother Francesco and another fishermen, also called Francesco, on their trawler Marianna. (AP PhotoAndrew Medichini)
Francesco washes the deck of the Marianna fishing boat, during a fishing trip in the Tyrrhenian Sea, early Thursday morning, April 2, 2020. Italy’s fishermen still go out to sea at night, but not as frequently in recent weeks since demand is down amid the country's devastating coronavirus outbreak. For one night, the Associated Press followed Pasquale Di Bartolomeo and his crew consisting of his brother Francesco and another fishermen, also called Francesco, on their trawler Marianna. (AP PhotoAndrew Medichini)
A man, wearing a protective mask, helps docking a fishing boat as it entered Fiumicino fishing port, in the outskirts of Rome Monday, March 30, 2020. Italy’s fishermen still go out to sea at night, but not as frequently in recent weeks since demand is down amid the country's devastating coronavirus outbreak. (AP PhotoAndrew Medichini)
A fishing boat enters Fiumicino fishing port, on the outskirts of Rome Monday, March 30, 2020. Italy’s fishermen still go out to sea at night, but not as frequently in recent weeks since demand is down amid the country's devastating coronavirus outbreak. On Sundays, or any sunny day throughout the year, you can find several people strolling along, but since the Italian government ordered a nationwide lockdown and shut restaurants and cafés to stop the spread of Covid-19, the area is deserted, and apart from the water rippling against the quay, it is silent. (AP PhotoAndrew Medichini)
A fisherman, wearing a protective mask, unloads a boat at Fiumicino fishing port, in the outskirts of Rome Monday, March 30, 2020. Italy’s fishermen still go out to sea at night, but not as frequently in recent weeks since demand is down amid the country's devastating coronavirus outbreak. (AP PhotoAndrew Medichini)
Fishermen, wearing protective masks, unload a boat at Fiumicino fishing port, in the outskirts of Rome Monday, March 30, 2020. Italy’s fishermen still go out to sea at night, but not as frequently in recent weeks since demand is down amid the country's devastating coronavirus outbreak. On Sundays, or any sunny day throughout the year, you can find several people strolling along, but since the Italian government ordered a nationwide lockdown and shut restaurants and cafés to stop the spread of Covid-19, the area is deserted, and apart from the water rippling against the quay, it is silent. (AP PhotoAndrew Medichini)
Workers, wearing protective masks, carry crates of fish to the Silver Fish wholesale auction house, at Fiumicino fishing port, on the outskirts of Rome Monday, March 30, 2020. Italy’s fishermen still go out to sea at night, but not as frequently in recent weeks since demand is down amid the country's devastating coronavirus outbreak. (AP PhotoAndrew Medichini)
Buyers, in background, respect safety distance and wear protective mask during an auction in a wholesale fish market, in Fiumicino, Monday, March 30, 2020. Italy’s fishermen still go out to sea at night, but not as frequently in recent weeks since demand is down amid the country's devastating coronavirus outbreak. (AP PhotoAndrew Medichini)
Buyers wear protective mask and respect safety distances as they attend an auction at the Silver Fish wholesale auction house, displayed on a television set in order to avoid overcrowding, in Fiumicino, Monday, March 30, 2020. Italy’s fishermen still go out to sea at night, but not as frequently in recent weeks since demand is down amid the country's devastating coronavirus outbreak. The new coronavirus causes mild or moderate symptoms for most people, but for some, especially older adults and people with existing health problems, it can cause more severe illness or death. (AP PhotoAndrew Medichini)
Francesco Di Bartolomeo, left, and Francesco select fish quality aboard Marianna, during a fishing trip in the Tyrrhenian Sea, early Thursday morning, April 2, 2020. Italy’s fishermen still go out to sea at night, but not as frequently in recent weeks since demand is down amid the country's devastating coronavirus outbreak. For one night, the Associated Press followed Pasquale Di Bartolomeo and his crew consisting of his brother Francesco and another fishermen, also called Francesco, on their trawler Marianna. (AP PhotoAndrew Medichini)
An elderly fisherman sits on the dock in the harbor at Fiumicino, a Rome suburb. He fixes a fishing net while waiting for trawlers to return from their night at sea. He and his assistant wear face masks to protect themselves against coronavirus, even though they are the only two people around.
An elderly man repairs a fishing net as an assistant holds up the net, on the empty dock of Fiumicino fishing port, on the outskirts of Rome, Monday, March 30, 2020. On Sundays, or any sunny day throughout the year, you can find several people strolling along, but since the Italian government ordered a nationwide lockdown and shut restaurants and cafés to stop the spread of Covid-19, the area is deserted, and apart from the water rippling against the quay, it is silent. (AP PhotoAndrew Medichini)
On sunny days, people would normally be strolling along the wharf of this town near Rome's Leonardo da Vinci airport. But since the Italian government ordered a nationwide lockdown to stop the spread of COVID-19, the area is practically deserted.
For one night, an Associated Press photographer accompanied fisherman Pasquale Di Bartolomeo and his two-man crew on their trawler, the Marianna. Their catch goes to the Silver Fish cooperative in Fiumicino for auction.
Di Bartolomeo has been a fisherman for 42 years. Before the lockdown, he’d go out to sea five nights a week. But that has decreased to three nights because the cooperative has suffered a 30%-40% drop in demand.
A fishing boat is seen from aboard the trawler Marianna, as it leaves Fiumicino port to go out at sea for a fishing trip, in the Tyrrhenian Sea, late Wednesday night, April 1, 2020. Italy’s fishermen still go out to sea at night, but not as frequently in recent weeks since demand is down amid the country's devastating coronavirus outbreak. For one night, the Associated Press followed Pasquale Di Bartolomeo and his crew consisting of his brother Francesco and another fishermen, also called Francesco, on their trawler Marianna. (AP PhotoAndrew Medichini)
While supermarkets and fish shops can participate in the auctions, restaurants are closed during the lockdown, diminishing the demand for their catch.
Di Bartolomeo said going out three times a week isn't enough to make a profit and the earnings hardly cover boat maintenance costs and his employees' salaries.
The three fishermen work constantly through the night and into the daylight, pulling up their nets every two hours. They are full of fish, including bluefish, octopus, calamari, shrimp and the occasional angler. They select the fish, clean them and neatly put them in boxes for unloading once they return to shore.
Francesco selects fish aboard the trawler Marianna, early Thursday morning, during a fishing trip in the Tyrrhenian Sea, April 2, 2020. Italy’s fishermen still go out to sea at night, but not as frequently in recent weeks since demand is down amid the country's devastating coronavirus outbreak. For one night, the Associated Press followed Pasquale Di Bartolomeo and his crew consisting of his brother Francesco and another fishermen, also called Francesco, on their trawler Marianna. (AP PhotoAndrew Medichini)
The harbor is suddenly busy again for the few minutes it takes to unload the fish. The only sounds are the fishermen speaking to each other when the boat comes into port, engine still running, and the wheels of the trolley carrying the fish to the auction house. A television screen set up outside the auction house keeps buyers apart in keeping with government-ordered social-distancing measures.
When the catch reaches the auction room, all goes quiet again.
Beatrice Larco contributed from Rome.
Pasquale Di Bartolomeo stands in the cockpit of his fishing trawler Marianna, during a fishing trip in the Tyrrhenian Sea, late Thursday, April 2, 2020. Italy’s fishermen still go out to sea at night, but not as frequently in recent weeks since demand is down amid the country's devastating coronavirus outbreak. For one night, the Associated Press followed Pasquale Di Bartolomeo and his crew consisting of his brother Francesco and another fishermen, also called Francesco, on their trawler Marianna. (AP PhotoAndrew Medichini)
Follow AP news coverage of the coronavirus pandemic at http://apnews.com/VirusOutbreak and https://apnews.com/UnderstandingtheOutbreak
Francesco Di Bartolomeo, left, and Francesco select fish aboard the trawler Marianna, during a fishing trip in the Tyrrhenian Sea, early Thursday morning, April 2, 2020. Italy’s fishermen still go out to sea at night, but not as frequently in recent weeks since demand is down amid the country's devastating coronavirus outbreak. For one night, the Associated Press followed Pasquale Di Bartolomeo and his crew consisting of his brother Francesco and another fishermen, also called Francesco, on their trawler Marianna. (AP PhotoAndrew Medichini)
From left, Francesco Di Bartolomeo, his brother Pasquale and Francesco select fish aboard the trawler Marianna, during a fishing trip in the Tyrrhenian Sea, early Thursday morning, April 2, 2020. Italy’s fishermen still go out to sea at night, but not as frequently in recent weeks since demand is down amid the country's devastating coronavirus outbreak. (AP PhotoAndrew Medichini)
Francesco, right, and Francesco Di Bartolomeo, select fish aboard the trawler Marianna, during a fishing trip in the Tyrrhenian Sea, early Thursday morning, April 2, 2020. Italy’s fishermen still go out to sea at night, but not as frequently in recent weeks since demand is down amid the country's devastating coronavirus outbreak. For one night, the Associated Press followed Pasquale Di Bartolomeo and his crew consisting of his brother Francesco and another fishermen, also called Francesco, on their trawler Marianna. (AP PhotoAndrew Medichini)
Pasquale Di Bartolomeo, left, and Francesco unload a fishing net aboard the trawler Marianna, during a fishing trip in the Tyrrhenian Sea, early Thursday morning, April 2, 2020. Italy’s fishermen still go out to sea at night, but not as frequently in recent weeks since demand is down amid the country's devastating coronavirus outbreak. For one night, the Associated Press followed Pasquale Di Bartolomeo and his crew consisting of his brother Francesco and another fishermen, also called Francesco, on their trawler Marianna. (AP PhotoAndrew Medichini)
Francesco washes the deck of the Marianna fishing boat, during a fishing trip in the Tyrrhenian Sea, early Thursday morning, April 2, 2020. Italy’s fishermen still go out to sea at night, but not as frequently in recent weeks since demand is down amid the country's devastating coronavirus outbreak. For one night, the Associated Press followed Pasquale Di Bartolomeo and his crew consisting of his brother Francesco and another fishermen, also called Francesco, on their trawler Marianna. (AP PhotoAndrew Medichini)
A man, wearing a protective mask, helps docking a fishing boat as it entered Fiumicino fishing port, in the outskirts of Rome Monday, March 30, 2020. Italy’s fishermen still go out to sea at night, but not as frequently in recent weeks since demand is down amid the country's devastating coronavirus outbreak. (AP PhotoAndrew Medichini)
A fishing boat enters Fiumicino fishing port, on the outskirts of Rome Monday, March 30, 2020. Italy’s fishermen still go out to sea at night, but not as frequently in recent weeks since demand is down amid the country's devastating coronavirus outbreak. On Sundays, or any sunny day throughout the year, you can find several people strolling along, but since the Italian government ordered a nationwide lockdown and shut restaurants and cafés to stop the spread of Covid-19, the area is deserted, and apart from the water rippling against the quay, it is silent. (AP PhotoAndrew Medichini)
A fisherman, wearing a protective mask, unloads a boat at Fiumicino fishing port, in the outskirts of Rome Monday, March 30, 2020. Italy’s fishermen still go out to sea at night, but not as frequently in recent weeks since demand is down amid the country's devastating coronavirus outbreak. (AP PhotoAndrew Medichini)
Fishermen, wearing protective masks, unload a boat at Fiumicino fishing port, in the outskirts of Rome Monday, March 30, 2020. Italy’s fishermen still go out to sea at night, but not as frequently in recent weeks since demand is down amid the country's devastating coronavirus outbreak. On Sundays, or any sunny day throughout the year, you can find several people strolling along, but since the Italian government ordered a nationwide lockdown and shut restaurants and cafés to stop the spread of Covid-19, the area is deserted, and apart from the water rippling against the quay, it is silent. (AP PhotoAndrew Medichini)
Workers, wearing protective masks, carry crates of fish to the Silver Fish wholesale auction house, at Fiumicino fishing port, on the outskirts of Rome Monday, March 30, 2020. Italy’s fishermen still go out to sea at night, but not as frequently in recent weeks since demand is down amid the country's devastating coronavirus outbreak. (AP PhotoAndrew Medichini)
Buyers, in background, respect safety distance and wear protective mask during an auction in a wholesale fish market, in Fiumicino, Monday, March 30, 2020. Italy’s fishermen still go out to sea at night, but not as frequently in recent weeks since demand is down amid the country's devastating coronavirus outbreak. (AP PhotoAndrew Medichini)
Buyers wear protective mask and respect safety distances as they attend an auction at the Silver Fish wholesale auction house, displayed on a television set in order to avoid overcrowding, in Fiumicino, Monday, March 30, 2020. Italy’s fishermen still go out to sea at night, but not as frequently in recent weeks since demand is down amid the country's devastating coronavirus outbreak. The new coronavirus causes mild or moderate symptoms for most people, but for some, especially older adults and people with existing health problems, it can cause more severe illness or death. (AP PhotoAndrew Medichini)
Francesco Di Bartolomeo, left, and Francesco select fish quality aboard Marianna, during a fishing trip in the Tyrrhenian Sea, early Thursday morning, April 2, 2020. Italy’s fishermen still go out to sea at night, but not as frequently in recent weeks since demand is down amid the country's devastating coronavirus outbreak. For one night, the Associated Press followed Pasquale Di Bartolomeo and his crew consisting of his brother Francesco and another fishermen, also called Francesco, on their trawler Marianna. (AP PhotoAndrew Medichini)