Octopus for sale at Paje, Zanzibar

One and a half US dollars. That’s the approximate beach price of a kilo of octopus in Zanzibar. I asked. The sale was done right on the blindingly white sandy shores of Paje, a district that is now crowded with tourist resorts and villas. I saw several fishermen with their prized catches of the day. Some chose to ignore the man with the bicycle and spring scale. Perhaps they have some other interested buyers in the village. I could not imagine them going to the big market in Stonetown which is about 50 kilometers away, not with just an octopus or two in tow.


fisherman with octopus, Paje, Zanzibar, Tanzania



fisherman haggling with the buyer at the beach of Paje



buyer weighs the octopus using a handheld spring scale



the sale is sealed with a smile



the buyer bags the octopus


Subsistence fishing is real in Zanzibar. With tidal surges of 3 meters, waters in the area are hospitable only a few hours certain day, half of the time in a month. Come full moon time, water recedes and the reef flat extends kilometers, allowing menfolk to fish with spears and nets. Otherwise, when the sea is high, men need boats which are capital-prohibitive.


the wide sandy expanse of Paje as seen from the shore



Paje, in another perspective, as seen from the reef



a fisherman dragging his catch



fisherman with spear

So others say that there’s always agriculture or city work but to a lot of these Zanzibaris, choices are slim. And the sea beckons.


man hopping around the beach looking for the best price



end of the day: going home