229
12 Marine Protected Areas in the Canary Islands – Improving Their Governability
La Restinga was founded as a fi shing village despite the fact that its peripheral
location made selling fi sh very dif fi cult. For a long time, the fi shing community
depended on factories or intermediaries who practically monopolized the catches.
In 1989, the fi shers rejected this traditional monopoly when intermediaries refused
to buy some catches because of market issues. In 1991, with the support of the
Cabildo , local fi shers set up a Fishermen’s Cooperative in the village. This initiative also re fl ected their desire to obtain more control over tuna fi shery development
(Galván Tudela 1990 ) .
The growth of scuba diving for tourists in La Restinga has changed some of these
aspects. In the absence of foreign investments in tourist infrastructures, certain
fi shing families have taken advantage of the presence of tourists by setting up various business initiatives (Pascual Fernández et al. 2001 ; Pascual 2004 ) . Female
employment has also risen as a result of increasing tourism. A case in point is a
commission-based system of accommodation available for tourism, which is managed by some fi shermen’s wives and entails building maintenance and housekeeping, client reception and direct attention, and accommodation booking. This activity
takes place through informal channels and provides an important source of income
for families, enabling them to improve their standard of living (De la Cruz Modino
and Pascual-Fernández 2005a ; Pascual-Fernández and De la Cruz Modino 2005 ) .
There is a strong territorial identity within the fi shing community, which is based
primarily on a common origin. After all, the founders of the village all came from
the island of La Gomera. There is also common socio-economical background that
links local inhabitants to fi shing activities, with shared concerns, troubles and development strategies. The community is isolated from the rest of the island and, to a
certain extent, from the rest of the Canary Islands. Considering the role of the
Cofradía of La Restinga in local fi sheries management, the local fi shing identity is
further fed by different experiences of self-governance or co-governance. This feeling is also bound up with the main fi shing area, known as the Sea of Calms, where
fi shers traditionally worked and learned to fi sh. The name of this section of the coast
near La Restinga re fl ects the continuously calm state of the ocean, which is evident
from the shore. The towering land mass offers protection against the prevailing
northeasterly winds (Pascual 2004 ) . The absence of winds and currents allows for
ongoing fi shing and tourism activities in the area at most times of the year. There is
considerable diversity in the tropical and subtropical characteristics of the sea, but a
remarkably low density of species. In general, the marine ecosystems that surround
the archipelago are characterized by biodiversity and fragility; the subtropical location results in a surface water temperature of around 21 °C for El Hierro. Along the
coast of La Restinga, it is possible to fi nd pelagic and subtropical species that are
less frequent in the rest of the Canary Islands. These include the whale shark
( Rhincodon typusk ), trumpet fi sh or atlantic cornet fi sh ( Aulostomus strigosus ), and
the ocean trigger fi sh ( Canthidermis suf fl amen ), all of which are a great attraction for
scuba divers. The Sea of Calms is extremely important for fi shing, because it is
especially rich in coastal pelagic, semi-pelagic and benthonic species, with tuna
stocks such as yellow fi n tuna ( Thunnus spp. ) and bonito ( Katsuwonus pelamis )
arriving on a cyclical basis. The natural conditions, however, also facilitate poaching
12 Marine Protected Areas in the Canary Islands – Improving Their Governability
La Restinga was founded as a fi shing village despite the fact that its peripheral
location made selling fi sh very dif fi cult. For a long time, the fi shing community
depended on factories or intermediaries who practically monopolized the catches.
In 1989, the fi shers rejected this traditional monopoly when intermediaries refused
to buy some catches because of market issues. In 1991, with the support of the
Cabildo , local fi shers set up a Fishermen’s Cooperative in the village. This initiative also re fl ected their desire to obtain more control over tuna fi shery development
(Galván Tudela 1990 ) .
The growth of scuba diving for tourists in La Restinga has changed some of these
aspects. In the absence of foreign investments in tourist infrastructures, certain
fi shing families have taken advantage of the presence of tourists by setting up various business initiatives (Pascual Fernández et al. 2001 ; Pascual 2004 ) . Female
employment has also risen as a result of increasing tourism. A case in point is a
commission-based system of accommodation available for tourism, which is managed by some fi shermen’s wives and entails building maintenance and housekeeping, client reception and direct attention, and accommodation booking. This activity
takes place through informal channels and provides an important source of income
for families, enabling them to improve their standard of living (De la Cruz Modino
and Pascual-Fernández 2005a ; Pascual-Fernández and De la Cruz Modino 2005 ) .
There is a strong territorial identity within the fi shing community, which is based
primarily on a common origin. After all, the founders of the village all came from
the island of La Gomera. There is also common socio-economical background that
links local inhabitants to fi shing activities, with shared concerns, troubles and development strategies. The community is isolated from the rest of the island and, to a
certain extent, from the rest of the Canary Islands. Considering the role of the
Cofradía of La Restinga in local fi sheries management, the local fi shing identity is
further fed by different experiences of self-governance or co-governance. This feeling is also bound up with the main fi shing area, known as the Sea of Calms, where
fi shers traditionally worked and learned to fi sh. The name of this section of the coast
near La Restinga re fl ects the continuously calm state of the ocean, which is evident
from the shore. The towering land mass offers protection against the prevailing
northeasterly winds (Pascual 2004 ) . The absence of winds and currents allows for
ongoing fi shing and tourism activities in the area at most times of the year. There is
considerable diversity in the tropical and subtropical characteristics of the sea, but a
remarkably low density of species. In general, the marine ecosystems that surround
the archipelago are characterized by biodiversity and fragility; the subtropical location results in a surface water temperature of around 21 °C for El Hierro. Along the
coast of La Restinga, it is possible to fi nd pelagic and subtropical species that are
less frequent in the rest of the Canary Islands. These include the whale shark
( Rhincodon typusk ), trumpet fi sh or atlantic cornet fi sh ( Aulostomus strigosus ), and
the ocean trigger fi sh ( Canthidermis suf fl amen ), all of which are a great attraction for
scuba divers. The Sea of Calms is extremely important for fi shing, because it is
especially rich in coastal pelagic, semi-pelagic and benthonic species, with tuna
stocks such as yellow fi n tuna ( Thunnus spp. ) and bonito ( Katsuwonus pelamis )
arriving on a cyclical basis. The natural conditions, however, also facilitate poaching