Being an artisanal fisher in Ecuador is hard. Fish are moving farther away from the coasts. Drug trafficking and illegal shark fishing are presenting themselves as more profitable alternatives. We went to the shores and offshore of the Ecuadorian coast, specifically in the province of Manabí. There, artisanal fishermen deal daily with the difficulties of work between closures, corruption, very low incomes and piracy. A struggle against the current that hinders life, food security, the sustainable use of natural resources and the eradication of poverty.