The Long Wait

A photo feature by Ami Vitale

The effects of climate change -- river erosion, rising sea levels and sea surface temperatures which result in greater instances of low pressures in the Bay of Bengal -- have made vulnerable the lives and livelihoods of the fisher folk community in villages of Barguna district. Fish are less available and the weather and waters unpredictable, forcing the fishers to either return early, empty-handed, or to risk their boats capsizing in the volatile waters. For the families of the fisher folk community, life has become a series of anxious goodbyes while seeing off their loved ones setting out on fishing trips, and long, worrying days of waiting until their return.

Ami Vitale, internationally renowned photographer, is best known for her cultural documentation