Задание 15 из ЕГЭ по английскому языку: задача 11

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The Last Fisherman of Monaco

It’s often just past midnight when Eric Rinaldi unties the mooring lines and carefully manoeuvres his fishing boat Diego out of Monaco’s harbour, Port Hercules. Contemplating the hours of inky darkness in front of him, he’ll steer past rows of superyachts as he heads out into the open sea, their polished hulls and elaborate designs a stark contrast to the simple practicality of his fibreglass workboat.

Onboard Diego — named for his young son — Rinaldi’s biggest luxury is an old Nespresso machine, one of the few comforts among the jumble of nets, hooks, bright orange buoys and other tools of his trade.

Today, it’s a profession at risk of disappearing completely; around these parts, Rinaldi is known as “the last fisherman of Monaco”.

It was Rinaldi’s great-grandfather, Adolphe, who first fished these waters around 1900. After him came Ange, Rinaldi’s grandfather. Generation three, Andre — or Dédé, as he was known around the port — followed. And for Rinaldi, there was little question where his future lay.

“As a baby, he was already thinking about fishing, almost before he could even talk,” Rinaldi’s mother, Jacqueline, told me. Around the age of five, as soon as he could swim, Rinaldi began to fish with a rod on the docks with Dédé keeping a watchful eye on his son from his boat. By the start of his mid-teens, he was alternating between a week at school and a week spent fishing with his father, biding his time before he could officially quit school and join his father to fish full-time at the age of 16.

Dédé, who passed away a decade ago, taught his son not only practical fishing skills, but also how to read the Mediterranean Sea, a body of water where conditions can change in as little as half an hour. He also remained loyal to the traditional pointu, never fishing on a modern-style fishing vessel. The biggest pointu he fished on was 14 m long. Rinaldi transitioned to a modern-style fibreglass vessel when he purchased Dédé after his father's death just over a decade ago. He took ownership of Diego, a slightly larger fishing boat, less than two years ago.

Today, with his uncle Charles to assist him, Rinaldi ventures up to four hours off the coast of Monaco in search of bigger fish such as tuna and swordfish. Closer to shore, when the water warms up in spring and summer, he nets smaller species such as red mullet, sea bream and scorpion fish. He can spend up to 24 hours at sea, preferring to only sleep on his return. It’s known for him to come back empty-handed. “Ten fish keeps me going,” he said. Earlier this year, he had a record haul, including a tuna weighing 180 kg, quickly snapped up by a chef at one of Monaco’s upscale restaurants.

His catch is sold or served fresh alongside other fish at Pêcherie U Luvassu (the Monégasque name for Mediterranean seabass), the fishmonger behind his berth that he co-owns. Local restaurants, as well as residents, are clients — “even the chefs from the superyachts,” Rinaldi said. The site has evolved with the arrival of local restaurateur Sami Ben Slama as his business partner in 2020. Now, the smartly dressed waterfront tables are a place to linger for a suited lunch crowd. But it’s the success of the restaurant that allows Rinaldi to continue his profession — and his passion — Ben Slama told me.

It’s still too early to know if Rinaldi is truly the last fisherman of Monaco. His son Diego is just 12 and Rinaldi said he is too young to have decided on his future path. Whatever that may be, however, he is sure there will always be a place for a fisherman in Monaco. And if my son doesn’t want to follow me and there’s some other young person who wants to, then why not help them?

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The phrase “biding his time ...” in Paragraph 5 refers to ...

1. being an adult.
2. catching fish.
3. waiting for working as a fisherman.
4. wasting time at school.