Via Youtube: In Nicaragua, commercial diving for lobster has lead to the death of hundreds of indigenous Miskito Indian divers while thousands have become paralyzed from decompression sickness, a diving-related condition known as “the bends.” Earth Focus profiles the new film My Village, My Lobster, which tells their story.
Along Nicaragua’s Miskito Coast, commercial lobster diving is the largest industry, employing over 5,000 Nicaraguans, mostly indigenous Miskito Indians. It’s an industry that affects the livelihoods of 50,000 men, women and children, and contributes millions of dollars to the regional economy. Since the early 1990s, over 90 percent of the lobster caught in Nicaragua has been exported to the United States and sold via international distributors to supermarkets and restaurant chains. Unlike small-scale fishing methods, the commercial diving industry uses SCUBA technology and large, re-purposed shrimping vessels to catch lobster in deep waters far off-shore. With few educational opportunities and almost no alternative sources of employment, Miskito Indians turn to commercial diving in order to support their families