Traditional fishing in Tenerife is a mix of expertise, a blend of hard work and tricks.
Every day, you see them setting out to sea, and you can’t help but watch them. The colorful fishing boats leaving the harbor, steaming into the ocean to catch their daily share of fish. They move with the waves, undeterred, heading towards the most bountiful fishing waters. You often wonder how they manage to bring their catch aboard and, more importantly, how they actually catch the fish.
In the harbor, the hustle and bustle start early. The boats are prepared, bait is loaded onboard, and the main engine is warmed up before the mooring ropes are cast off. You hear Canarian phrases being called back and forth as the red, blue, and green-painted sloops quietly chug away, making their way into open waters.
Types of Fish
Onboard, el capitán firmly holds the rudder and throttle, increasing speed as he leaves the harbor further behind. The marineros hunch over the stern, seemingly searching for something. In reality, they are preparing the fishing gear. Depending on the season, they catch tuna, sardines, or other species, each requiring different fishing techniques.
In these waters, you won’t find sole, plaice, turbot, brill, or cod, but instead mackerel and sardines—and that’s where comparisons with the North Sea end. The seafloor here is not a flat sandy plain where trawl nets can be used to deplete fish stocks. Instead, the ocean floor is a rugged labyrinth of solidified lava and magma, where any fishing net would get hopelessly entangled.
Tricks of the Trade
Local fishermen are experts at finding and applying techniques to improve their catch. For instance, they place a porcelain shard inside their traps to attract fish or use a CD just beneath the surface to reflect sunlight and lure predatory fish. Fishing is full of tricks—it’s an industry bursting with ingenuity.
Here’s another one: Why do fishermen carry the fish basket on their shoulders when coming ashore? Of course, it’s for comfort, but primarily to prevent competitors from seeing their catch and estimating their earnings.
From the shore, you can’t tell what they’re fishing for since nothing is set up beforehand. Only after setting sail is everything prepared to fill the cold storage.
Fish Traps and Harpooning
The most commonly used fishing method is trap fishing. Fish traps, or nasas, are underwater cages placed on the seafloor. Salted and partially rotted bait is secured inside the trap, luring fish to swim in. Each trap is part of a longline with six or more traps connected. A floating buoy marks the location of the trap line.
Harpooning is another, less frequently used method, typically employed when petos (wahoo) and barracudas are present. A compact disc is placed just below the water’s surface, and the sun’s reflection attracts these predatory fish. When they rise to investigate, the harpooner is ready to strike with a four-pronged spear.
Other Fishing Techniques
Net fishing is used only when fishing massively for sardines or mackerel. A vertical drift net is cast around a school of fish from a small sloop, after which the noose technique tightens the net, leaving only the scooping process.
Al corrican refers to dragging one or more trolling lines behind a boat, mainly for small or large tuna species, king mackerel, or marlin. This technique is often used to maximize fishing time while traveling to deeper fishing waters.
Bottom fishing is another method, reaching depths of up to 1,500 meters with a one-kilo weight attached to a stainless-steel fishing line, electrically powered to haul up species like congrio (a thick-bodied conger eel) and other deep-sea fish.
The Miraculous Catch
One of the most efficient techniques is used for tuna fishing in large schools. The boat selects a location where these fish gather in vast numbers. A spray system on the boat creates a mist, obscuring the vessel’s visibility from below, while the crew swings long reed poles over the water, each with a short line and live or artificial bait. This method allows them to catch large quantities of fish in minimal time.
There are, of course, many other techniques used to ensure a specific fish species ends up on your plate. For live cuttlefish (chocos or sepia), divers snorkel down and use a bell-shaped net to capture them. Moray eels are trapped inside PVC tubes, while shrimp are collected in box traps with fine mesh netting.
Traditional fishing in Tenerife, they’re not crazy, these fishermen, they are just smart sailors with common sense!
Guy Devos © Photography
Traditional Fishing in Tenerife ©
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