Shellfish collectors in Peru make a living harvesting a special mollusk called the barquillo, a primary ingredient in a world-famous ceviche dish. But hunting the elusive seafood comes at a deadly cost.
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00:01Here in Peru, the search for a seafood delicacy
00:05begins with a motorcycle ride through the desert.
00:12Just a handful of people in the whole country
00:15are skilled enough to scale the towering cliffs.
00:24They're hunting for a special mollusk called barquillo,
00:28found inside coastal rocks where the waves crash.
00:49Barquillos are the main ingredient in a special kind of seafood ceviche
00:54that's made only in the remote town of Warmey,
00:59which has now become a go-to destination for foodies from all over the world.
01:04But what's in it for the men who put their lives on the line
01:09hunting for this elusive sea creature?
01:11About a five-hour drive north of Lima is the small fishing town of Warmey.
01:21Every day, Arminio Lobato de la Cruz
01:25packs up his climbing gear and hits the road.
01:28He's learning from his mentor, Juan Le Gormes,
01:41who has nearly 20 years of experience as a shellfish collector or mariscador.
01:47He's known as El Grande.
01:48Together, they bike for 25 miles till they reach this coastal desert.
01:54I, for example, the first time I went to the acantilado,
01:59I felt a little hot, right?
02:02But my body was a little scared.
02:05I had a little fear around there.
02:08But with time, El Grande says he overcame his fear.
02:12You're independent of yourself.
02:15It's not like a job.
02:16A job that tells you,
02:17come back at the time,
02:18and at the time you're going to go.
02:20They prefer to scale the cliffs the way their ancestors did,
02:25without any formal rock climbing gear.
02:31The men wear hand-woven mesh shoes that don't retain water.
02:35They get caught the water.
02:36They get caught.
02:38They don't try to fall.
02:50El Grande ties the rope around an iron rod that's hammered into the rock.
02:55This is the only thing that anchors them to these cliffs
02:59that are as high as 1,000 feet.
03:01Lobato goes first.
03:18The two men take turns, rappelling down using each other for support like a pulley system.
03:24Falling rocks and debris make the descent even more challenging.
03:47El Grande starts to descend once Lobato stops at about 300 feet down.
03:54El Grande starts to descend once Lobato stops at about 300 feet down.
04:02El Grande starts to descend once Lobato stops at about 300 feet down.
04:16The rope isn't long enough to reach the rocks in one shot, so they carry more and tie it
04:23at different points along the route.
04:31The entire descent takes them about 40 minutes.
04:38Finally, El Grande meets Lobato at a ledge near the ocean.
04:47The water temperature, even in the summer, is around 68 degrees Fahrenheit.
04:53So they put on a thermal suit for insulation.
04:56These cost them about 1,000 Peruvian soles or about $270, but they're an essential investment.
05:05December to March are the best months to harvest the barquillos because the ocean is relatively
05:10calmer.
05:12So, when the water retreats during low tide, they try to pluck as many barquillos as they
05:17can.
05:18Guarda!
05:19Corres, entras a la piedra, sacas, y rapido sales tambien.
05:22No, no, no, no, llivas, todo el todo.
05:28Y si es que el agua tambien viene, no viene con fuerza, tu te cubres bajo la piedra y el agua
05:37va pasar por encima.
05:38Corres, corres, corres, corres, corres, corres.
06:02The barquillos thrive off the algae and seagrass that cover the slippery rocks.
06:09They're just two inches long and blend in, but the men know exactly what they look like.
06:15They use their hands and sometimes a piece of spring iron to get them off.
06:19Here in Peru, mariscadores were harvesting barquillos as far back as 680, using rafts to reach them.
06:46The exterior shell is made of 8 plates that overlap slightly, allowing it to curl up into a ball.
06:53Inside, it has a radula or tongue covered with sharp, tiny teeth that help it eat the algae.
06:59They can live up to 20 years and are a natural source of food for birds, crabs, starfish and more.
07:07Species of this mollusk are also found in Alaska, California, Chile and the Great Barrier Reef.
07:15But today, there are only a dozen mariscadores left in and around Warme who collect the barquillo this way.
07:24Others, like Juan Obet Logimet, rent boats to get to nearby tidal pools.
07:30But that's expensive and much slower.
07:37Mariscadores also say they can access more locations by climbing up and down the cliffs.
07:44But Juan can no longer do that.
07:47Last year, a wave thrashed him on these rocks, permanently injuring his knee.
07:52He uses a different technique to catch the shellfish with special bamboo sticks or kanias.
08:08He attaches an iron hook on one stick to scrape off the barquillo and a mesh net on the other to catch it.
08:17This helps him reach deep into the rocks while staying away from the waves.
08:24Mar, you have to know the currents in which he is at that moment.
08:30Today, the water can be very good.
08:34And tomorrow, it can be made by a lion.
08:39The accidents that I have had have been strong.
08:46I mean, the fracture of the bone, costillas, tendonitis, esguince.
08:53And, well, I said, the life that I tell you is, I give you a chance to try to change what you're doing.
09:09Accidents like his are all too common for Mariscadores in Peru, which is one of the world's top five fishing nations.
09:18But the majority of incidents go unreported, since the fishing sector is mostly informal.
09:25Today, Lobato and El Grande plucked about 350 barquillos in three hours, and even ate some of them fresh.
09:52If they're in the shell, they can stay alive for a couple of days.
09:58But Mariscadores often de-shell them so their load is lighter.
10:04Pulling themselves up after a whole day of fishing is exhausting and takes the most stamina.
10:11Once the men are back in Huarme, they try to sell the barquillo right away to wholesalers.
10:33Juan also delivers barquillos to local fish markets.
10:49He can make up to 500 soles a week, or about $136, depending on his haul.
10:55In this part of Peru, that could pay for a week's worth of groceries for a family of four.
11:03Juan's family also runs a seafood restaurant that serves ceviche, the national dish of Peru.
11:13It's usually a mixture of raw seafood and fish with onions and citrus juice.
11:21But restaurants in Huarme are known for making it with only shellfish.
11:28Foodies from all over the world travel here to try the famous version of ceviche.
11:35And while this is a local treat found in every corner of Huarme, Mariscadores like Juan,
12:03feel forgotten.
12:06There are other jobs in the area in mining and agriculture.
12:22But El Grande and Lobato say shellfish hunting is the most lucrative for them right now.
12:28I don't care about the danger.
12:30What I care about is that my children are professionals.
12:33My job is to despairing and make money for them to study.
12:39I have to hold myself strong and that nothing happens to me because I have to get home well.
12:46My job is to despairing and that nothing happens to me because I have to worry about it.
12:58I don't care about it.
13:02I'm not sure about it.
13:04But I'm not sure about it.
13:05I don't care about it.
13:07I'm not sure about it.