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The rhythmic pounding of nails and the whine of saws fill Ibrahim Hyderi, a coastal neighborhood on Karachi’s outskirts where traditional fishing boats take shape beneath the summer sky.

The maritime town, believed to date back centuries, is known for building wooden vessels one piece at a time. Mehran Ali Shah of the Pakistan Fisherfolk Forum says the area helped give birth to Karachi and supplied the city’s fishing sector.

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This is the area that gave birth to Karachi, and that provided Karachi with its fishing sector.

Industrial shipbuilding has grown, but the handcrafted tradition continues. Twenty-two-year-old Muhammad Asif learned the trade from his father as a teenager. He now works independently, putting in about 12 hours a day, six days a week, for as much as 2,500 Pakistani rupees ($9) a day. Workers continue through intense summer heat, humidity and monsoon rains.

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I was drawn to this work, so I work at it with great dedication. It has always been my passion, that is why I chose this line of work.

The process begins when a fisherman selects a design. A master craftsman prepares a template, and carpenters choose timber such as local eucalyptus or African teak, valued for its resistance to seawater. They cut the heavy blocks along pencil markings, then build the hull from the ground up, climbing rickety ladders as each nail and timber block brings the boat higher.

Even a small boat several meters long can take up to three months to complete and cost about one million Pakistani rupees ($3,600), Asif says. Once the hull is finished, painter Muhammad Ismail adds color. He says fishermen usually prefer floral patterns to fish designs, and he takes satisfaction when owners appreciate his work. Nearby, fisherman Qadir Bux repairs nets in a family boat that has been in use for at least two decades and hopes to restore it soon.

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Most of our fishermen prefer floral designs rather than fish.