Basque ethnography at a glance

Bermeo (Bizkaia), c. 1930. Indalecio Ojanguren. General Archive of Gipuzkoa.

Bermeo is a seaside city with nearly 17 000 inhabitants. Former caput Biscaiae ‘capital of Bizkaia’, the city was for centuries a major fishing and trading port.

Deep-sea trawler vessels of about 150 tonnes, each manned by some 15 fishermen from Bermeo, would leave the neighbouring city port of Ondarroa. They sailed through the Gulf of Bizkaia, as far as the Sole Bank, fishing for, among other species, hake (lebatza), monkfish (zapoa), bib (takarta)… Trawlers fished in small fleets of one, two or three, taking turns, if at all, to bring the catch back to shore. They stayed out at sea for as long as the caught fish would keep fresh, approximately 20 days, and embarked again after a couple of days off.

Inshore fishing from the port of Bermeo used to mainly target hake or tuna, with traditional steam-powered vessels specializing in either species.

Hake vessels would employ four fishermen devoted to fishing for anchovy (bokarta), mackerel, sardine… Leaving at night and returning at sunset, they made day trips to adjacent fishing waters, following the so-called ardora, or silvery trail of fish banks sparkling in the dark. Artisan fishers used hook and line to catch fish, commercial longline fisheries having greatly expanded over the last years.

Bermeo (Bizkaia), 2019. Segundo Oar-Arteta. Labayru Fundazioa Photographic Archive.

As inshore fishing off the Cantabrian coast wound down, tuna steamers would head for the West African banks. They fished for round about six months, unless fishing was abundant, in which case they returned earlier. The base port would be Freetown, in Sierra Leone, and on board each vessel two mechanics were usually in charge of repairing any potential problems which might come along, and a Franciscan friar who offered spiritual guidance.

Experienced fisherfolk distinguish among small tuna of less than 4 kg, called tomaterua; medium-sized tuna, or biribila, ranging from 4 up to 7 kg; and big tuna of over 7 kg, referred to as handia. Bigeyes, generally weighing between 18 to 30 kg, and bluefins are also well known.

With a fleet of around 140 hake and 160 tuna vessels, the entire local population engaged in fishing and related jobs, including seamen, men and women workers of the canning industry, and net makers and menders (saregileak). Towards the mid-1980’s, in the wake of what our informants call the European ‘dismantling’, the maritime activity fell sharply, just about 18 boats operating today.

Having become a place of refuge and shelter for countless recreational boats, the port is now almost unrecognizable.

Segundo Oar-Arteta – Labayru Fundazioa

Translated by Jaione Bilbao – Ethnography Department – Labayru Fundazioa