A day aboard the Nuevo Jaime David
Every night, at approximately 10 p.m., the encircling fishing boats set out and fish all night long until they return at around 7 a.m. As the name suggests, the modality consists of surrounding the shoals of fish, mostly pelagic species, such as anchovy, sardines, tuna, bonito, mackerel, sorel and gilthead bream.
Once the shoal of fish has been located, and the course and speed determined, it is enveloped by a small boat, the panga, which releases the net in a circle around the shoal.
The net has numerous floats that prevent it from sinking and at the other end it has weights that keep it vertical.
Once the fish are encircled, the net is closed by pulling the ends of a head called a sheath through the bottom of the net, thus closing it. A large net 350 metres long and about 80 metres wide is used. This type of net is suitable for catching fish that swim in dense schools of fish, either at the surface or at mid-depth.
Photographs : Carlos Ruano and Pepo Orts .
