(“jábegas,” “sardinales” and longliners), with 900 small vessel types suffering from
an unbalanced competition against the 16 “bou” pairs working intensively (Anonymous 1894). New petitions to ban the “bou” fishing gear on behalf of shipowners
and artisanal fishermen achieved the prohibition of fishing less than 6 miles from the
coast. In 1895, the spatial limits of each province were delimited on the basis of the
greater or lesser extent of the continental shelf. An average depth of 90 metres
together with a distance of 5–6 miles from the coast was calculated for the North
Alboran Sea. In the year 1895, the first two steam trawlers were registered in Malaga
to dedicate them individually to trawl farther than 10 miles offshore. This situation
led to the fact that shipowners of sail pairs also joined the protests. In 1898, after a
provisional closure of the waters off Malaga (June to August), a new regulation for
bottom trawling of all types of vessels was approved (Burgos 1997).
23.5.1 Nineteenth-Century Fisheries Statistics
During the nineteenth century, the navy elaborated the official fishing statistics.
Nevertheless, they could have been considered unreliable for many years, with large
gaps, and generally, catches were not classified by species. Table 23.1 summarizes
the statistical catch information available for our area.
The most important conclusions are summarized. In general for fish catches as a
whole and sardine catches in particular, an alternation is confirmed for the maximum
values for Galicia, Huelva, Malaga and Atlantic Morocco. In some specific years,
fishing catches in Andalusia were much higher than those in Galicia (1883) or
similar (1889, 1892) (Viruela 1995).
In the Alboran Sea, the greatest fishing effort and the maximum annual catches
were concentrated in the province of Malaga, increasing progressively. The global
Table 23.1 Statistical catch information available in relation to the Alboran Sea and/or Andalusia (1829/1892)
Years
Areas
Authors
1831, 1861
Malaga vs Gulf of Cadiz
Fernández (1866)
1829, 1831–1835, 1845–1847
Alboran Sea vs Gulf of
Cadiz
Burgos and Lacomba
(1993)
1842–1846
Marbella, Velez-Malaga,
Nerja
Burgos (1994b, 1996b)
1831, 1858, 1860, 1861, 1883, 1889,
1892
Andalusia vs Galician
Viruela (1995)
1883
Alboran Sea vs Gulf of
Cadiz
Lacomba (2006)
1881 (sardine)
Alboran Sea vs Gulf of
Cadiz
Lacomba (2006)
1888
Alboran Sea vs Gulf of
Cadiz
García Solá (1888)
23 A Historical Approach to Living Resources on the Spanish Coasts from the. . .
789
an unbalanced competition against the 16 “bou” pairs working intensively (Anonymous 1894). New petitions to ban the “bou” fishing gear on behalf of shipowners
and artisanal fishermen achieved the prohibition of fishing less than 6 miles from the
coast. In 1895, the spatial limits of each province were delimited on the basis of the
greater or lesser extent of the continental shelf. An average depth of 90 metres
together with a distance of 5–6 miles from the coast was calculated for the North
Alboran Sea. In the year 1895, the first two steam trawlers were registered in Malaga
to dedicate them individually to trawl farther than 10 miles offshore. This situation
led to the fact that shipowners of sail pairs also joined the protests. In 1898, after a
provisional closure of the waters off Malaga (June to August), a new regulation for
bottom trawling of all types of vessels was approved (Burgos 1997).
23.5.1 Nineteenth-Century Fisheries Statistics
During the nineteenth century, the navy elaborated the official fishing statistics.
Nevertheless, they could have been considered unreliable for many years, with large
gaps, and generally, catches were not classified by species. Table 23.1 summarizes
the statistical catch information available for our area.
The most important conclusions are summarized. In general for fish catches as a
whole and sardine catches in particular, an alternation is confirmed for the maximum
values for Galicia, Huelva, Malaga and Atlantic Morocco. In some specific years,
fishing catches in Andalusia were much higher than those in Galicia (1883) or
similar (1889, 1892) (Viruela 1995).
In the Alboran Sea, the greatest fishing effort and the maximum annual catches
were concentrated in the province of Malaga, increasing progressively. The global
Table 23.1 Statistical catch information available in relation to the Alboran Sea and/or Andalusia (1829/1892)
Years
Areas
Authors
1831, 1861
Malaga vs Gulf of Cadiz
Fernández (1866)
1829, 1831–1835, 1845–1847
Alboran Sea vs Gulf of
Cadiz
Burgos and Lacomba
(1993)
1842–1846
Marbella, Velez-Malaga,
Nerja
Burgos (1994b, 1996b)
1831, 1858, 1860, 1861, 1883, 1889,
1892
Andalusia vs Galician
Viruela (1995)
1883
Alboran Sea vs Gulf of
Cadiz
Lacomba (2006)
1881 (sardine)
Alboran Sea vs Gulf of
Cadiz
Lacomba (2006)
1888
Alboran Sea vs Gulf of
Cadiz
García Solá (1888)
23 A Historical Approach to Living Resources on the Spanish Coasts from the. . .
789