+7 Fishing for a Future
Fishing for a Future
Fishing for a Future
Fishing for a Future
Fishing for a Future
Fishing for a Future
Fishing for a Future
Fishing for a Future
Fishing for a Future
FANO, Italy – At 3:30 on a Wednesday morning, the smell of freshly-caught fish permeates a small amphitheater near the docks of an ancient fishing port. As the owners of local restaurants and markets gather here for the weekly fresh fish auction, a conveyor belt begins rolling plastic bins of cuttlefish, cod, goatfish, crab, calamari, and many other species into the room for inspection and bidding.
But something isn’t quite right with this picture.
The 140 seats in the bleachers are filled to only a quarter capacity. An auction that once lasted a few hours is completed in just 30 minutes.
“In 20 years when [we] retire, the next generation won’t be replacing us because it’s not a job that people aim for anymore,” said fisherman Massimo Perugini. “The industry will slowly disappear because it’s no longer a tradition as it used to be.”
This tradition, which historians say extends 42,000 years, appears to have an impending expiration date—-and the clock is ticking.
A combination of collapsing fishing stocks, a degrading environment, fewer fishermen, and a new generation uninterested in the hard work and sacrifices of this profession, may be leading to the end of this way of life.
“It used to be generational, a tradition that was passed on, but now it’s not anymore,” explains Daniele Isotti, a fisherman of 40 years. “Fisherman used to have more boats, like 17, and now they only have 5, so it’s a smaller industry now.”
Harvesting fish from the Adriatic Sea has been an important part of life along Italy’s eastern coastline since long before the time of Christ. Archeological records from civilizations such as the Terremare culture, which began in 1450 BC, show signs of fishing. And an ancient harbor belonging to the Illyrians in 900 BC has been discovered and identified as an ancient trading post.
More well-known civilizations, like the Greeks and Romans, also relied on fishing in the Adriatic. All segments of those societies relied on fish. The poor could only afford small fish like anchovies and septs, while the wealthy ate tuna, bass, and red mullet.
Fishing and seafood continue to be integral parts of Italy’s cuisine and economy, but records show that could be ending. Italian fish production doubled from 1960-2000 but has been suffering from a severe decline since early in the 21st century.
In the past 50 years alone, research shows the Adriatic Sea has lost half of its marine mammals and fish populations.
Perugini and other fishermen believe they are contributing to the problem. Fisherman don’t always follow the protective government regulations on size and species of legal fish, he said. Instead, they catch and sell young fish before they have time to reproduce the fish stocks, leading to a lack of replenishment. He believes many fishermen ignore these rules and sell the illegal fish under the radar: “This stuff [illegal fishing] happens everywhere in Italy…it happens all the time, but it is illegal.”
Research shows global warming is also harming Adriatic fish populations. As sea temperatures increase, the waters become uninhabitable for the fish. This is predicted to be a global problem that will only increase as temperatures continue to rise. There has already been a 4.1% global decrease in fish species and shellfish.
Adriatic fisherman, like Perugini, have also noticed that new species of fish such as the dusky spinefoot, have appeared and are predators to the native ones, “destroying and contributing to the decline in local fish.”
The lack of fish in turn leads to declining jobs within the industry, causing members of traditional fishing families to look elsewhere for occupations and income. Research shows Italian fishing employment dropped every year since 2000.
“The cost of the fish is higher, and the quality is lower, but it used to be the other way around.”
Fishermen have noticed the decline has affected the quality of fish as well as the quantity.
“…The cost of the fish is higher, and the quality is lower, but it used to be the other way around,” said Perugini. He also believes that this increase in cost has spread to equipment and maintenance, not just in the fish.
Due to these financial factors, most Italian fisherman nowadays don’t do it for the money, but for the passion.
Unfortunately, they say, their passion is absent in most of today’s generation.
“It’s a tough job made of sacrifices that aren’t appreciated by newer generations,” Perugini said. “When the weather is good I work 24/7, so I don’t get days off. . . You have to be passionate and love what you do, then see what you get out of it.”
Although there are many factors threatening this tradition, many organizations, public and private, are joining together to continue it. The government has made laws to protect endangered and young fish, restaurants are beginning to place importance on the freshness and quality of fish rather than the quantity, and fisherman are moving to eco-friendly techniques.
Isotti agrees that fishermen have an important role in this effort.
“Of course it is the responsibility of us fisherman [to fish eco-friendly], if I only fish the regulated kind, then everything will work better. The restaurants will be better, and the smaller fish will have time to reproduce and get bigger.”
Translation of interviews and other language assistance by University of Urbino students Luca Cocozza and Francesca Massari.
Video by Olivia White & Katherine Inman
