Interview: Architekt Mario Botta entwirft das Mineralbad & Spa Rigi ...

At the same time she leaves no
doubt about how much she loves
fishing in itself, especially the
peacefulness of being alone on the
water and working in nature. “As
long as there is no storm, one really
gets to experience a lot of
calmness out on the lake. One may
see and hear things that are not at
all common in everyday life. There
is no noise.”
She considers the pressure to get
an adequate catch within a reasonable
amount of time a great motivating
force. Hofer explains: “We
have many loyal customers in the
region that depend on getting their
fresh fish from us. To supply them
regularly and reliably is a great
privilege for us. That’s what we are
here for, that’s what we strive to
do!” At present, Hofer’s business
employs three people full-time and
two people part-time. And indeed,
there is quite a lot of work to be
done, even at such a small fishery.
The nets need to be laid out in the
lake and reeled back in, the catch
needs to be brought back ashore
and processed, sometimes smoked,
then distributed to all the customers
or vendors.
The fish from Lake Lucerne are
supposed to be of a superb quality.
Hofer explains why. “We have the
cleanest large lake in Switzerland;
it has pure drinking water quality.”
Because the lake is low on natural
nutrients, the fish must work even
harder to feed themselves, therefore
the general population of the
fish in the lake is smaller than
elsewhere. She continues: “This
means that our catch quantity is
lower than on other lakes, but
those fish that we do catch, are especially
good.” As everywhere else
though, all the hard work that fishing
requires, does not really translate
into tremendous wealth.
Asked if she misses something
in her new profession, Sabina Hofer
answers: “I really would love to
have more contact with profession-
portraIt
al female fishers; it would be great
to have more peers!” Does she often
have to put up with machos or
listen to silly comments? “No, not
at all, but the work is hard and as
a woman I am more exposed or
vulnerable. Maybe I am something
like a male midwife would be!”
And with a smile she adds: “Plus
there really are no fitting fishing
overalls for women; everything is
too baggy and loose.”
This last factor, however, should
not influence Sabina Hofer’s final
decision on whether to eventually
take over her father’s family fishery
and pursue her newfound profession
on a long-term basis. Because
it is absolutely apparent that
she has the genuine passion necessary
for her job and as such is a
unique phenomenon on Lake Lucerne.
Drei Vollzeit- und zwei Teilzeitmitarbeiter sind derzeit beschäftigt. Photo Hans-Jürgen Siegert
The business employs three people full-time and two people part-time.
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