Note: This article was originally published in 2014. Prices, opening hours and dates may have changed since.
Behind the scenes – a day on the fishing boat
five o’clock in the morning Port of Roses. Tinted darkness surrounds the alleys, in which no soul is lost at this time, dull and motionless, the sea spreads out in front of the harbor walls, only a few scattered floodlights illuminate the black water surface. The whole area is still a sleeping animal that releases its cool breath in even thrusts into the air. One must admit the latest offer of the estació nàutica and Confraria de Pescadors In Roses, where you accompany a fisherman on your boat for a day, there is nothing for the faint-hearted – but the view of the spectacular sunrise over the sea, which you normally miss, attracts the sea.
Fishing on the Costa Brava
As much as the presence of fishing at the Costa Brava The fishermen themselves seem to be so inviolable – they imagine them as those rough, bearded figures who rarely have a word beaded over their lips and who come together in the dark harbor bar at dawn, to Trigger areas for the day.
Costa Brava fisherman
A lonely life, rich in the presence of nature and the sea – so the romantic notion attached to a fisherman. the work of those people who, every day, Costa Brava fish specialties Bringing it to our plates seems a well-protected secret – all the more unique and tempting is the chance to let some light seep into this darkness.
Only this summer was the idea realized after a three-year planning phase – Fourteen boats Offering a ride at the moment, you can choose between large trawlers who can take up to four people on board and smaller boats designed for up to two people, The tours vary.
Various fishing boats
The trip on one of the big ships lasts all day long and has two meals included – the fish that is served on deck can probably not be fresher. With the small boats, you have solid ground under your feet again around 1:00 p.m. – you have to move out of bed a little earlier for that. Catalonia is the first region to cultural treasure accessible to visitors. So it can be assumed that more and more travel enthusiasts will dare the adventure by next summer at the latest. Our trip will be one of the last of the season, at the end of September the sea is too rough and the weather is too merciless and you will have to be patient until May next year.
Shortly before half past six, tire noises break through the silence and a handful of delivery vans roll into the parking lot. You shake hands between warehouses and wooden boxes, in which nets are piled up – our fisherman has neither a beard nor gray hair, but wears an all the friendlier smile and only the callus on his hands remind of his job.
We have for the Half-day variant decided – for the simple reason that we hope to get even closer to the fisherman. From the speakers on deck of the small but spacious boat, the voices of the other fishermen, who discuss the price for the day too low due to the coming holiday, echo the voices of the other fishermen. Jokes are made, laughter mixes with the sounds of the waves licking the ship’s hull, no trace of bad mood in the morning. While we slowly let ourselves be pushed into the day by the rocking of the boat and long for a cup of coffee, our fisherman and his two helpers are already in the process of peeling themselves into their yellow rubber suits and letting the engine howl – we set sail and suddenly we will shaken awake by tingling excitement.
Fish the tradition in Roses
Our fisherman is not taciturn – on the contrary, he not only tells us about fishing on the Costa Brava, but also his personal story. Fishing is in his blood, he and his brother never wanted to do anything else. Even his great-grandfathers and fathers worked in this profession – the long one Tradition, which hides behind the fishery, shows her furry face for a moment. The connection to the sea and the coast echoes in each of his words. He speaks of priceless moments on the high seas, and of his love for nature, revealed in all her unfinishedness in the rocky face of the coast. In fact, there is now a first strip of morning red in the blue night sky and you think you’re getting a faint idea of what’s behind his words.
In the air, the heavy smell of salt and fish that eats up in the clothes unstoppably, just before Roses Let’s throw out the first network. A few moments later, the sea suddenly resembles a blood-red mirror, the crispy surface of which is speckled with the golden reflections of the rising sun.
Sunrise from fishing boat
A Sunrise From the beach can be great – from the boat you have the feeling of being able to pick the light from the sky like a small diamond. After the spectacle, it’s time to get to work – the three men have already started catching up with yesterday’s ejection. The conversations ebb for a while, concentration is required. Similar to nimble animals, the fishermen’s hands tweak the prey every second from the tight mesh of the net and throw them into the buckets filled with water. We see soles, perch and crucian carp, and now and then a shark-like catfish or a small ray got caught in the net, but they are released back into freedom.
Rarely has one come so close to his food and finds himself at origin of the processing process Again, which will eventually come to an end in one of the countless fish restaurants along the coast. Nevertheless, it cannot be denied that the sight would give many a sensitive stomach a damper – no matter how interesting and exciting the tour may be, one is also reminded that our artfully refurbished, culinary delights are not made in this robe. Jumping the sea and behind it always the killing process.
First net – and a smile from the fishermen
The first network is caught after about an hour. It was a good catch, the buckets are filled and the face of our fishermen adorns a satisfied smile. The fisherman explains to us on the way to the second net through how many different hands the fish moves until it finally ends up on the plate. He is first sold at the fish auction in Roses, which takes place every day in the halls on the harbor area, but the buyers are rarely the restaurants themselves, but mostly large entrepreneurs, through which the fish is then resold. The fishing company does not fall asleep even in winter – all year round The fishermen’s boats leave the port, the catch varies from month to month.
Insight into a traditional profession
Two more nets have been caught up two hours later and we are slowly heading back to the port – probably the perfect time for the homecoming, because dark clouds are now piling up in front of the slopes of the Pyrenees. The fishermen say goodbye to us on the edge of the harbor – the typical clichés would have been cleared out of the way. We’re a little cold and a bit clammy and our whole car is filled with smell of fish when we make our way home – but it’s worth it, because one deeper insight into a traditional profession in the region You probably don’t get anywhere and it’s precisely these moments that make a trip special.
Information:
The tours start from May – September from Roses, Llançà and L’Escala. For booking with the Ajuntament in Roses contact.
Fischer Roses – Costa Brava
More: Hiking between Roses and Cadaqués, Cap Norfeu – Between Roses and Cap Creus, Celebrating Life – Pirata Beach Bar Roses.
