A Maldivian fisherman displays part of his catch of tuna fish upon
returning from a fishing expedition at the Maldives capital of Male on
July, 12, 2001. The fishing industry is the primary income earner for
the maritime Maldives, an island chain comprised of hundreds of small
atolls surrounded by clear blue seas in which tuna fish abound. The
sun-drenched strip of about 1,200 coral islands off the southern tip of
India lies just a fraction above sea level, a splattering of green dots
in a blue ocean highly vulnerable to any small change in climatic
conditions.

AL/RCS