RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL – Artisanal mullet fishing broke the “2019 record in Florianópolis” this weekend. The event took place at Lagoinha, a beach in the north of the island capital of Santa Catarina, in the south of Brazil. Approximately 8,000 mullets were caught in a single haul.
According to the fishermen, this is a record for this year’s season, which until now had been very feeble. In other years, however, up to 50,000 mullets have been caught in a single net, which would have been the highest ever recorded, recalls fisherman Alionísio Manoel de Souto, 54 years old. Nezio, as he is known, has been active since he was 12 when he started fishing with his father.
The mullet, known as “tainha” in Portuguese, is a common local fish, and sport fishing is allowed between May and July 15th. The dishes served with mullet are diverse, as it can be grilled, baked, stewed, or even fried.
It Takes Strength to Pull in the Nets
Artisanal sport fishing is tough because the boats have no motor or sail. The fishermen cast their nets using oars. They set the nets every time one of the “scouts” (fishermen who keep an eye on the shoals) sounds an alert.
However, when they find a school such as one on Sunday, pulling out several tonnes of fish trapped in the nets requires great physical strength. Occasionally, they are supported by a tractor, which was not the case this time.
“It was about 6 o’clock in the morning; the fish were coming from the south to the north. We brought the two canoes, with the nets,” Nezio says. “It all happened so fast. Around 6:40 AM, we surrounded the shoal,” he recalls.
Nezio says one of the shoals escaped the encirclement. He says it is in July, when the winter is more severe, that the shoals appear. However, until now, “the sea was not for fish,” and the nets were raising a maximum of 800 mullets.
Fishermen are celebrating. Each mullet is sold for approximately R$20.00 (US$5.00), which secures a small income for each of the 30 fishermen involved in this Sunday’s catch.
Extinction
The species is considered endangered by environmentalists. Federal government technicians have tried to impose a maximum catch limit per year. The matter has been brought to court, and in April this year, the Federal Regional Court suspended the limit.