22.3.2 Origins of the Northern Alboran Sea Fishing Fleet
The Northern Alboran Sea has a long fishing tradition. Artisanal beach fishing gears
were the most important ones until the beginning of the twentieth century (among
them were those locally called jabegas, boliches, or sedales). However, a trawling
fleet equipped with steam engines initially located in Malaga, but later in Algeciras
or Almeria, expanded from the 1920s by mainly targeting hake (Merluccius
merluccius) and crustaceans in the north of Moroccan fishing grounds (Rodríguez
Santamaría 1923). This fleet segment reached a historical peak of catches in the
1970s and then progressively decreased as the fishing authorities of Morocco
restricted the access to their fishing grounds until a full withdrawal in 1999 after
the closure of this fishing ground for Spanish trawlers.
The purse seine fishing fleet did not developed until the end of Spanish Civil War
(1936–1939), despite some historical references to primitive purse seiners locally
called mamparras (Bellón and Bono 1950).
The first purse seiners equipped with engine (locally known as traiñas) set their
port bases mainly in Malaga and to a lesser extent in Almeria, Ceuta, and Melilla,
targeting anchovy, sardine, horse mackerel (Trachurus spp.), mackerel (Scomber
spp.), bullet tuna (Auxis rochei), and to a lesser extent round sardinella (Sardinella
aurita). Purse seiners coexist with traditional artisanal fishing gears locally called
jabegas or boliches until the 1980s and sardinales that were substituted by purse
seiners during the 1950s. The use of jabegas was very restricted because of their
significant impact on juveniles and immatures in the Bay of Malaga.
4
Different kinds of tuna traps have also been historically casted in Northern
Alboran Sea. The most important ones are La Atunara (La Linea de la Concepción,
Spain) followed by Punta Chullera (Estepona), Almeria, La Azohía (Mazarrón), and
others of less importance, namely, Águilas, Marbella, or Cartagena. Additionally,
surface longlines are of relative high importance in the port of Carboneras
(Garrucha). The latter fishing gear was also present in Algeciras along with a fleet
of deep-sea longliners, locally called voracera, that targeted red seabream in the
Strait of Gibraltar. Finally, there are some mollusc bivalve fisheries exploited by tow
rakes in the ports of Estepona and Fuengirola, together with a significant number of
multi-gear fishing boats operating in all Northern Alboran Sea fishing ports.
22.3.3 Northern Alboran Sea Fish Catch Evolution
Because of difficulties to collect historical data on the evolution of catches, fleets,
and fishing effort, we need to devote some paragraphs to describe thoroughly the
sources compiled and data cleaning up to build time series presented in this section.
4 Pérez de Guzmán et al. (1986: 159) noted that there were 165 jabegas and boliches targeting
immature fishes, locally marketed as chanquetes, in 1985.
760
J. J. García-del-Hoyo and D. Castilla-Espino
The Northern Alboran Sea has a long fishing tradition. Artisanal beach fishing gears
were the most important ones until the beginning of the twentieth century (among
them were those locally called jabegas, boliches, or sedales). However, a trawling
fleet equipped with steam engines initially located in Malaga, but later in Algeciras
or Almeria, expanded from the 1920s by mainly targeting hake (Merluccius
merluccius) and crustaceans in the north of Moroccan fishing grounds (Rodríguez
Santamaría 1923). This fleet segment reached a historical peak of catches in the
1970s and then progressively decreased as the fishing authorities of Morocco
restricted the access to their fishing grounds until a full withdrawal in 1999 after
the closure of this fishing ground for Spanish trawlers.
The purse seine fishing fleet did not developed until the end of Spanish Civil War
(1936–1939), despite some historical references to primitive purse seiners locally
called mamparras (Bellón and Bono 1950).
The first purse seiners equipped with engine (locally known as traiñas) set their
port bases mainly in Malaga and to a lesser extent in Almeria, Ceuta, and Melilla,
targeting anchovy, sardine, horse mackerel (Trachurus spp.), mackerel (Scomber
spp.), bullet tuna (Auxis rochei), and to a lesser extent round sardinella (Sardinella
aurita). Purse seiners coexist with traditional artisanal fishing gears locally called
jabegas or boliches until the 1980s and sardinales that were substituted by purse
seiners during the 1950s. The use of jabegas was very restricted because of their
significant impact on juveniles and immatures in the Bay of Malaga.
4
Different kinds of tuna traps have also been historically casted in Northern
Alboran Sea. The most important ones are La Atunara (La Linea de la Concepción,
Spain) followed by Punta Chullera (Estepona), Almeria, La Azohía (Mazarrón), and
others of less importance, namely, Águilas, Marbella, or Cartagena. Additionally,
surface longlines are of relative high importance in the port of Carboneras
(Garrucha). The latter fishing gear was also present in Algeciras along with a fleet
of deep-sea longliners, locally called voracera, that targeted red seabream in the
Strait of Gibraltar. Finally, there are some mollusc bivalve fisheries exploited by tow
rakes in the ports of Estepona and Fuengirola, together with a significant number of
multi-gear fishing boats operating in all Northern Alboran Sea fishing ports.
22.3.3 Northern Alboran Sea Fish Catch Evolution
Because of difficulties to collect historical data on the evolution of catches, fleets,
and fishing effort, we need to devote some paragraphs to describe thoroughly the
sources compiled and data cleaning up to build time series presented in this section.
4 Pérez de Guzmán et al. (1986: 159) noted that there were 165 jabegas and boliches targeting
immature fishes, locally marketed as chanquetes, in 1985.
760
J. J. García-del-Hoyo and D. Castilla-Espino