At the confluence of the Blue Nile and the White Nile near Sudan’s capital, Khartoum, 35-year-old Younis Hamad al-Nil sails his wooden boat from sunrise to sunset, searching the wide waters for today’s catch.
For 20 years, he has made the same trip, using his expert eye to search for suitable patches of water. Once satisfied with the location, he beats the water’s surface with a long wooden pole before spreading his net; pulling it back a half hour later to survey his haul.
He and his fellow fishermen can catch up to 100 kilograms (221 pounds) of fish on a really good day, but most days average around 50 kilograms. Depending on market prices, his day’s profits usually — but not always — cover his family’s expenses, as well as maintenance and fuel for the boat.
The river fishermen are in competition with their deep-water counterparts on the Red Sea coast. Area wholesalers and consumers tend to prefer the Red Sea fish in summer and the bonier Nile fish in winter.
“The Nile is gentle,” Hamad al-Nil says with a smile, whereas “the sea is dangerous.”
The world’s longest river, the Nile’s water is shared by 11 countries, ending in Egypt and the Mediterranean Sea. Its main tributaries, the Blue and the White Niles, meet just north of Khartoum.
The river fishermen spend most of their days on the water, their boats turned into temporarily homes. The fishermen cook their meals onboard and stretch under the sun, listening to music playing from mobile phones charged by solar grids.
As Hamad al-Nil’s boat sails toward his preferred fishing spot — near an island off the city of Omdorman just north of Khartoum — he floats past farmers with cattle feeding on grass on small islands and ferries carrying people from one riverbank to the other. Passing fishermen often hand each other food and cigarettes from boat to boat.
Hamad al-Nil never went to school and doesn’t read or write, but he has made a point of sending his four children to school.
“I love fishing,” he said, but he doesn’t intend to let his children work with him.
Here is a series of images by AP photographer Mosa’ab Elshamy of Sudanese fishermen on the two Niles.
Click on any image below to launch the gallery.
In this Thursday, April 16, 2015 photo, Sudanese fisherman wash their day’s catch in the early morning hours by the Nile River bank, in Omdurman, Khartoum, Sudan. Fishing is the one of the most common vocations in Sudan, with the Nile River traversing the country from South to North. (AP Photo/Mosa’ab Elshamy)
In this Wednesday, April 15, 2015 photo, birds circle above a Sudanese fisherman as he washes his day’s catch in the early morning hours by the Nile River bank, in Omdurman, Khartoum, Sudan. The river fishermen are in competition with their deep-water counterparts on the Red Sea coast. “The Nile is gentle,” fisherman Hamad al-Nil says with a smile, whereas “the sea is dangerous.” (AP Photo/Mosa’ab Elshamy)
In this Wednesday, April 15, 2015 photo, Sudanese fishermen prepare their boats on the banks of the Nile in the early morning hours in Omdurman, Khartoum, Sudan. The fishermen spend most of their days on the river; their four meter-long boats double up as temporarily homes. While awaiting a catch, the fishermen cook their meals onboard, listening to music playing from mobile phones which they charge with solar panels. (AP Photo/Mosa’ab Elshamy)
In this Wednesday, April 15, 2015 photo, Sudanese fishermen prepare their boats on the banks of the Nile River in the early morning hours, in Omdurman, Khartoum, Sudan. The worldís longest river, the Nile’s water is shared by 11 countries, ending in Egypt and the Mediterranean Sea. Its main tributaries, the Blue and the White Niles, meet just north of Khartoum. (AP Photo/Mosa’ab Elshamy)
In this Wednesday, April 15, 2015 photo, Sudanese fishermen sail on the Nile River in the early morning hours, in Omdurman, Khartoum, Sudan. Nile fishermen sail for at least an hour towards an island off the coast of the capital, before throwing their nets into the water and waiting for the day’s catch. (AP Photo/Mosa’ab Elshamy)
In this Wednesday, April 15, 2015 photo, a Sudanese fisherman gathers his net while fishing in the Nile River on the outskirts of Khartoum, Sudan. (AP Photo/Mosa’ab Elshamy)
In this Wednesday, April 15, 2015 photo, Sudanese fishermen sail through river algae while fishing on the Nile River on the outskirts of Khartoum, Sudan. The world’s longest river, the Nile courses through 11 countries, ending in Egypt and the Mediterranean Sea. Its main tributaries, the Blue and the White Niles, meet just north of Khartoum. (AP Photo/Mosa’ab Elshamy)
In this Wednesday, April 15, 2015 photo, Sudanese fishermen row their boat beneath Omdurman Bridge on the Nile River, in Khartoum, Sudan. (AP Photo/Mosa’ab Elshamy)
In this Wednesday, April 15, 2015 photo, Sudanese fishermen steer their boats while fishing in the Nile River on the outskirts of Khartoum, Sudan. (AP Photo/Mosa’ab Elshamy)
In this Wednesday, April 15, 2015 photo, Younis Hamad al-Nil, 35, sails his wooden boat on the Nile River on the outskirts of Khartoum, Sudan. For 20 years, he has made the same trip, using his expert eye to search for suitable patches of water. Once satisfied with the location, he drops his net; retrieving it a half hour later to survey his haul. (AP Photo/Mosa’ab Elshamy)
In this Wednesday, April 15, 2015 photo, Sudanese fishermen prepare to transport their fish in a Tuk-Tuk after washing them by the Nile River bank, in Omdurman, Khartoum, Sudan. Fishermen can catch up to 100 kilograms (221 pounds) of fish on a really good day, but most days average around 50 kilograms. (AP Photo/Mosa’ab Elshamy)
In this Wednesday, April 15, 2015 photo, a Sudanese fishermen arranges his catch in baskets on his boat, in Omdurman, Khartoum, Sudan. The river fishermen are in competition with their deep-water counterparts on the Red Sea coast. Area wholesalers and consumers tend to prefer the Red Sea fish in summer and the bonier Nile fish in winter. (AP Photo/Mosa’ab Elshamy)
In this Thursday, April 16, 2015 photo, a Sudanese fisherman display their fish for sale at the Omdurman fish market, which operates before dawn until sunrise, in Omdurman, Khartoum, Sudan. Fishermen can catch up to100 kilograms (221 pounds) of fish on a really good day, but most days average around 50 kilograms. (AP Photo/Mosa’ab Elshamy)
In this Thursday, April 16, 2015 photo, Sudanese fishermen clean fish before selling them at the Omdurman fish market, which operates before dawn until sunrise, in Khartoum, Sudan. (AP Photo/Mosa’ab Elshamy)
In this Thursday, April 16, 2015 photo, a man inspects a fish before buying it at Omdurman fish market, which operates before dawn until sunrise, in Khartoum, Sudan. (AP Photo/Mosa’ab Elshamy)
In this Thursday, April 16, 2015 photo, Sudanese fishermen clean fish before selling them at the Omdurman fish market, which operates from before dawn until sunrise, in Khartoum, Sudan. (AP Photo/Mosa’ab Elshamy)
In this Thursday, April 16, 2015 photo, a Sudanese fisherman prepares to sail his boat at the start of the day at the Nile River, in Omdurman, Khartoum, Sudan. (AP Photo/Mosa’ab Elshamy)
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