Which of these is true about Kihnu Island?

I saw a documentary about it; men go out fishing most of the day, they come back late exhausted, wake up again to go fishing before sunrise..almost away from home!

"For many years...have been frequently gone to sea...??? Yup, terrible grammar too, but what does it even mean? Do they leave the island for good never to come back? Why would that be so, if yes?