Puerto López Fish Market – Ecuador

Ecuador · 2020

Every morning, artisanal fishermen land their catch directly on the beach of Puerto López on Ecuador’s Pacific coast. Swordfish, tuna and other large fish are unloaded, weighed, butchered and sold in the open-air fish market, documenting the daily work and traditions of one of Ecuador’s best-known fishing communities.

Fishing boats gather offshore while fishermen, vendors and visitors prepare for another morning at the beach fish market in Puerto López on Ecuador’s Pacific coast. Frigatebirds circle above the shoreline as the day’s catch begins to arrive.

An artisanal fisherman carries freshly landed fish through the surf after returning to the beach at Puerto López. The image documents the traditional landing of the daily catch on Ecuador’s Pacific coast.

Fishermen, pickup trucks and fishing boats fill the beach at Puerto López as the morning fish market gets underway. The image captures the everyday atmosphere of one of Ecuador’s best-known artisanal fishing communities.

An elderly fish vendor pauses while preparing freshly caught fish at her small stall in Puerto López, Ecuador. Her portrait reflects the people whose daily work sustains the traditional artisanal fishing community on Ecuador’s Pacific coast.