The bay is inhabited by the fishing communities that live on floating houses and boats. The residents, such as this woman, make their livelihood by aquaculture and fishing using hook-and-line gear. Many houses have fishpens underneath them.
Fishermen generally catch only smaller-sized groupers because they cannot afford to buy fishing line that’s strong enough to catch larger ones. They also stick to areas near the shore around the many islands in the bay.
The small-scale fishermen sell their catch to local markets and restaurants that cater to growing number of tourists. There are also larger-scale operators who sell the most highly-valued species to middlemen for export to China.