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The Night's Catch

The Night's Catch

November 20th, 2025 - Olivia Aylsworth

 

Deck hand shovels ice aboard fishing boat.
Lee, deckhand on the Captain Anthony, loads ice in the hold for the night's catch.
Dung Van Nguyen navigates the Captain Anthony out of the harbor in Ocean Springs, Mississippi.
Dung Van Nguyen navigates the Captain Anthony out of the harbor in Ocean Springs, Mississippi. He purchased the Captain Anthony over two decades ago.
A sun-faded photo of Captain Dung's child sits near the helm.
A sun-faded photo of Captain Dung's child sits near the helm.
A view of the kitchen of the boat.
Many commercial fishermen defer maintenance on their boats, often struggling to break even.
A deck hand looks out over the sea.
The Captain Anthony journeys into the Mississippi Sound. They will spend the next 16 hours searching for enough shrimp to turn a profit.
Captain Dung watches as the boat's nets are lowered into the water.
Captain Dung watches as the boat's nets are lowered into the water.
Commercial fishermen use large nets to pull up their catch, dragging them off the sides of the boat across the gulf floor.
Commercial fishermen use large nets to pull up their catch, dragging them off the sides of the boat across the gulf floor.
The sun sets on the Mississippi Sound as the Captain Anthony stops to pick up the evening's first catch.
The sun sets on the Mississippi Sound as the Captain Anthony stops to pick up the evening's first catch.
Lee opens the net, their catch spilling across the sorting deck.
Lee opens the net, their catch spilling across the sorting deck.
A shot of the stern of the boat as 2 fisherman prepare their work areas.
Captain Dung and Lee separate mature shrimp from the bycatch.
A fisherman reviews a recent catch.
Captain Dung tosses a shrimp to be sold into the basket. The hauling and sorting process is repeated hourly.
The floor of the boat covered with what's left of a recent catch.
Bycatch sits on sorting deck, waiting to be thrown back into the water.
A dimly lit kitchen as a deck hand prepares a quick meal.
Lee prepares the crew's meal for the night.
A closeup of a dish that the deck hand is cooking.
To reduce fishing expenses, some bycatch is saved and cooked for the crew meal. Tonight's menu is squid and onions.
After dinner, Lee passes the time waiting for the next net to come up. Fishing is often a lonely profession.
After dinner, Lee passes the time waiting for the next net to come up. Fishing is often a lonely profession.
A wide shot of a fishing boat in the middle of the night surrounded by darkness.
Seagulls surround a nearby shrimp boat on the Mississippi Sound. Over decades, economic and environmental factors have increased competition for commercial fishermen along the gulf coast.
A medium shot of a fisherman's glove as he reviews a recent catch.
Lee continues the sorting process. As the night goes on, fewer and fewer shrimp are brought up in the net.
Freshly caught shrimp in a blue basket.
On this trip, the catch is barely enough to pay for the boat's diesel.
Lee continues to sort and catch shrimp, this is a process that goes on every hour on the hour.
As day breaks, Lee sorts the last of the bycatch. There's not enough shrimp to continue fishing.
Captain brings in the nets as they head back to the docks.
Captain Dung hauls in the nets.
A deck hand sits and takes a break on the boat.
Lee watches the sun rise, as the Captain Anthony returns to the docks.
A large pile of freshly caught shrimp.
The shrimpers' meager catch is stored on ice for sale to the public dockside.
A few shrimp rest upon a bed of ice.
Jumbo shrimp is the most desired size at market. Tonight, Captain Dung and Lee caught only three.
Dirty boots on a vietnamese fishing boats.
Once the catch is sold, Dung and Lee go home for a few hours' rest. Lee's boots sit waiting for the next night's catch.
A portrait of the fisherman.
Captain Dung
A portrait of the deckhand.
Deckhand Lee