Wim gets acquainted with the fisherman's life, he sails for the first time and experiences personally how things are at sea. Retired fishermen talk about their first trip. Sometimes they were only eleven years old and immediately went to sea for three weeks, with a crew they did not know.
What's it like to be married to a fisherman? How do the women manage when their husbands are at sea 250 days a year? How did the children experience their childhood with an absent father? And how do the fishermen themselves try to fulfill their father role, keep in touch with the home front and not lose touch with their family?
If professional fishing is under pressure, the shrimp fishermen are threatened with extinction. In Ostend they try to keep their heads above water, but you can count the boats on one hand.
Fishermen depend on each other to bring every journey to a successful conclusion, they put their fate in each other's hands. One oversight or ill-considered decision can have far-reaching or fatal consequences.
Fishermen work very hard, but also party very hard. They earn a good living and are happy to spend that money. This time the heavy stories emerge about their solid nightlife, and lavish parties.
There is a lot of knowledge about the fish, nature, hunting, weather, moon phases, currents to know when and where to catch the best fish. Every fisherman has his secret tricks with which he tries to outdo the others.
The fishing industry is having a hard time: young people don't wish to be away from home for so long, and the hard life on board scares them off. It is difficult for shipowners to find a crew.
All fishermen have one thing in common: their unconditional love for the sea and the fishing industry. Despite the dangers, the feeling of freedom keeps driving them into the sea. And what the heart is full of, the mouth overflows.