Being captain of a tuna trap: practice, knowledge, and skills for the sustainability of an age-old mode of fishing

Abstract

Tuna fishing has historically been based on a complex network of socio-labor interactions involving a significant number of fishers having a variety of specific functions. Tasks have been divided into three main stages: preparation and deployment of the fishing gear; harvesting activities inside the trap, and dismantling of this impressive fishing tool. The captain emerges as the key figure watching over this wide range of activities, since all the technical tasks necessary for the different stages of the fishing to be properly executed depend on the captain (as well as others, as an intermediary between the company and the crew). His sensorial and intellectual skills and practical learning ability continue to underpin the operation of this centuries-old fishing mode, although the latest changes in the technical and economic organization of blue fin tuna fishing have changed the socio-cultural landscape of the traps. A theoretical reflection is given of the concept of vernacular expertise based on a description of these skills and their historical evolution (18th century onwards). The analysis focuses on tuna traps on the Andalusian Atlantic coast (SW Spain), and reviews the history of the fishery from the late 18th century to the present day; i.e., the historical period during which the previous fishing gear, the so-called " mobile " tuna trap (the almadraba de tiro or almadraba de vista (alternative names)) has been replaced by the " static " tuna trap (the almadraba fija or almadraba de buche (alternative names)).