A cloud of seagulls surrounds a ship loaded with white shrimp. On a balcony there is a beach cooler, ocher satellite dishes from the saltpeter, from so much wind. A fisherman in a Breton shirt unloads the boxes, skeins of nets loaded with stories and a plate of palaya, well lemon, freshly caught.
The port of towns like Villajoyosa, in Alicante , these days become the perfect setting where we can immerse ourselves in the marine world beyond the topics of sun and beach tourism.
The Charco cove with the Xarco tower in the background, in Villajoyosa, Alicante.
Behind the approval of the decree of 2019 at the national level -in the Valencian Community it took place in 2017-, Pescaturismo is committed to the diversification of the fishing activity on the Spanish coasts through new experiences. An extra focused on enhancing the resources of these communities through showcookings, excursions and guided tours, among many other proposals.
The best side B of a summer that invites you to discover all the ins and outs of the sea: reading the wind before rise to the Mediterranean, the history of a territory, or the daily life of some workers who set out in search of fish to return with sunken supermarket carts on the seabed. Experience is the bait, but awareness is the best reward.
HEROES BETWEEN NETWORKS
The fisherman wakes up at 4 am. Standing on the shore, he knows the direction of the wind and knows if today will be a good day to fish or not. Trawlers are characterized by a more ambitious fishing, at the mercy of nature capricious that never guarantees a return with full hands.
'El Surdo' drying on his boat bacallarets, Catalonia.
The ship heads to the edge of his blue kingdom, but instead of horse mackerel and sea bream, the shovels extract a washing machine of the seabed. “There are days when the fisherman only dedicates himself to extracting trash from the bottom of the sea throughout the day. That day, of course, he does not charge, "he says. Beatriz Almarcha, head of the company LeisureSea , to Conde Nast Traveler. However, the state of the marine environment is only one of many problems faces this community.
"Trawler fishermen have it very difficult with the rise in diesel," he tells us. Adrián Canales, responsible for the fishing tourism project in Villajoyosa and Torrevieja. “Fish tourism does not solve this problem but at least it is an extra. With having to supply the cost of diesel, they are satisfied”.
To the problem of fuel prices, we must add the cutouts of working days imposed by the European Union on the main ports of our Mediterranean; either the wake of confinement , a time that led to the massive closure of restaurants, the main consumers in the fish markets of our country.
"Also there is less fish than before and we have competition from fish farms,” adds Adrián. “In times of economic crisis, if a person goes to the market, he prefers to buy a sea bream at half price instead of a wild gilthead."
Fishing tourism in Torrevieja.
These problems paint an uncertain horizon for fishing families. Hence, opening the back door is the best way to invite the traveler to a microworld as a new strategy to survive.
THE MEMORY OF THE LOBSTER
It's four in the afternoon and the owners of the restaurants crowd the seats. In front of the seats trays of sea bream, palayas, octopus and the occasional lobster still alive circulate under a screen that displays a price. Now or never. The fresh load will go to the highest bidder who presses the button and white shrimp of Villajoyosa, the most desired mutiny. But the fish market auction is just one of the many experiences of fishingtourism that we can enjoy today in this Alicante town.
In a price range between 20 and 120 euros , the traveler can enjoy four types of experiences.
The basic excursion includes a maritime route with explanations of the history of the port, a visit to the auction and the fresh fish tasting . The second option adds a pleasure boat excursion to watch the fishermen fish from afar. The third goes further and allows spend a day with the sailors on your own ship and even taste the flavors of a fisherman's ranch on deck.
Fisherman in Torrevieja.
Finally, the most ambitious excursion includes a cooking workshop at the end of the tour . Fresh fish is bought at the fish market and a typical suquet de peix is prepared at the Tennis Club under the baton of the chef Tony Mayor.
The discovery of all perspectives of the world of fishing further enriches the tasting of local flavors. “There are people who come because they are completely unaware of this world and it catches their attention. They are people with a very specific taste and concrete”, adds Bea.
La Vila is a town that is committed to fishing tourism as alternative way to nurture the ancient world of fishermen, but it is not the only one. Along the coast of Andalusia, Murcia, the Balearic Islands, Galicia or the Valencian Community itself we find various examples of companies that have opted for fishing tourism after the approval of the decree.
In pontevedra, Francisco Javier Costa García's ship, patron of the Cangas Fishermen's Guild, offers visits to the Maritime Terrestrial National Park of the Atlantic Islands of Galicia through its Mar das Illas Atlánticas project.
Cudillero, Asturias.
In Andalusia, the Andalusian Association of Fishing Women (AndMuPes) advances in new sustainability projects in the sea. And in Cudillero, Asturias, a boat departs from the colorful harbor to cape video fishing for bonito in the summer and squid in the fall along the way.
On the same beach where nail the parasol this summer hundreds of stories are born. A culture of the sea with as many scales as forms of merge with the environment, to become aware. But especially, allow the fisherman go out to work every morning with the certainty of not finding a car Supermarket instead of a school of horse mackerel.