Hauling in the catch of the day is a morning ritual on Pondicherry Beach It was very early morning on Pondicherry beach. Fishermen leave for the sea around 3 am to spread their nets. They return to shore after leaving the spread net in the sea for 4-5 hours. Around 7.30 am, about 15 to 20 fishermen start pulling the net slowly. It was a slow, long process. They haul in the nets for 30-40 minutes. In the final stage of pulling, a few more fishermen will add their strength to the group. A large quantity of fish (smelt fish or anchovies, called Nethili in Tamil) weighing 150-200 kg are trapped. As soon as the net is opened, retail fish merchants arrive and start collecting the fish in their vessels
