Extractive fishing gear in the Mazarrón bay (Murcia Region, Spain) during the first half of the 20th Century: a heritage prone to being forgotten

Abstract

Fishing in the Mazarrón Bay has been practiced since prehistoric times. This was one of the basic pillars of the area’s economy; however, due to the development of tourism, this maritime activity has been pushed into the background. The changes in the fishermen’s way of fishing in the last decades of the 20th century, as a consequence of the proliferation of boats with greater extractive capacity, have meant that much of the fishing gear has fallen into disuse. The main objective of this research is the compilation of information on their use and the available tools of this heritage in order to preserve their history. In order to do so, the archives of the Mazarrón Fishermen’s Guild were consulted and interviews were conducted with local fishermen over 80 years of age, who fished with devices that are no longer in use today. The results show that it is possible to promote them as tourist attractions, with the aim of raising awareness of the fishing identity and the environment in which it is practiced, in the southeast of the Iberian Peninsula.