Mostly all Mallorca's resorts were originally fishing villages. Not all, as some were created from virtually nothing; Playa de Muro being a case in point. The fishing has continued in many of the resorts and in one - Puerto Pollensa - its confraria is celebrating its one hundred years of being. It is a celebration at a time when Mallorca's fishermen are finally to get a law to do with fishing; the Balearics have never actually had one.
It is extraordinary to think that islands stuck in the middle of the Mediterranean might have managed to avoid having specific legislation, but this has been the case. Under the law and as part of the fisheries policy for the seven-year period to 2020, the fishermen are likely to benefit from there being a more relaxed line from Europe. Most demands made by the Balearics which have been submitted to the Committee of the Regions and passed to the EU have been accepted in recognising the Balearics geographical situation.
The relationship between the fishermen and Europe hasn't been the best in the recent past. Earlier this year, the jonquillo goby fish catch was stopped when EU inspectors prevented it, so depriving the fishermen of some 400,000 euros worth of potential business. The catch should be able to go ahead next year, following a plan submitted by the regional government.
A further development will be to allow fishing tourism, something that hasn't previously been regulated. It offers the fishermen a legitimate new line of business and Mallorca a whole new line of potential tourism. It's a good move, though one has to ask why it has taken so long to introduce when other coastal regions of Spain have had such regulations.
One thing that both the regional government and the fishermen want to improve is the level of consumption of locally caught fish; it is only some 15% of the total at present. But as has been seen with the example of the sepia (cuttlefish) catch in Puerto Alcúdia, a reason for the relatively low catch is that local restaurants have refused to pay the prices the fishermen demand; it has been cheaper to buy wholesale. It was the refusal of the restaurants to bow to the price demands that led the fishermen to withdraw their support from the annual sepia fair in 2011.
Another reason why local consumption may be low is that traditional cuisine is more land-based. Mallorca was, Palma excepted, always more rural than coastal, and this is reflected in the fact that local specialities tend to have a peasant past, be they meat (pork, lamb or goat), vegetable or legume.
The fishing communities were historically only tiny, certainly by comparison with some inland towns. Some, such as Colonia Sant Pere and Colonia Sant Jordi, were established in the late nineteenth century in order to shift economic activity to the coast. Partly this was to enable new agriculture to emerge but partly it was intended to develop fishing which had really been a poor relation to agriculture in terms of the island's economic mix.
Though fishing is only a part of resorts' activity nowadays, its importance is reflected in the fact that there are 16 guilds around the Balearics, Puerto Pollensa's and Puerto Alcúdia's being but two. And the significance of fishing finds expression in the local fiestas, Sant Pere (Saint Peter) being the patron saint of fishermen; Puerto Alcúdia's summer fiesta is in his name.
And the history of local fishing can be easily observed by just looking at the boats. The origin of the llaüt craft, of which there are different types, isn't precisely known, but there are documents which date back to the twelfth century that establish its presence in Mallorca. By the fourteenth century, there were llaüts capable of carrying loads with weights up to 40,000 pounds.
In Puerto Pollensa, they are celebrating a hundred years of the fraternity. Between 8 and 10 November, there will be events to mark the occasion. Nothing fancy, nothing elaborate. They will be understated. Rather like the fraternity itself.
Any comments to andrew@thealcudiaguide.com please.
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