In Portugal, the sardine is queen of fishing and celebration

(Peniche) Emblematic of the local festivities which bring the Portuguese together throughout the summer, the sardine represents two thirds of the Iberian country’s fishing and provides the raw material for an important canning industry.

“Where there are sardines, there are people, beer, friends and conviviality. The sardine brings people together,” Gonçalo Ortega, a 27-year-old Portuguese man sitting at a table with friends in a typical neighborhood of Lisbon to celebrate Saint Anthony’s Day, told AFP.

As with Midsummer in Porto, the smell of grilled sardines in the street goes hand in hand with the popular dances that enliven these local summer festivals in Portugal.

“The sardine, which is in fact the most abundant and common species on the Portuguese maritime coasts, is of great importance in terms of supplying the population. From local coastal communities to urban populations. In this sense, sardine fishing is of great importance at the social level. Even more than the legendary cod,” explains Alvaro Garrido, specialist in the economic history of fishing.

The biggest consumers of fish in the European Union, the Portuguese import most of it, notably the famous cod (or cod), symbol of national gastronomy caught in waters further north.

“The trade balance for fishery products in Portugal, due to imports of cod, is chronically in deficit. On the export side, what will rebalance the picture are exports of canned sardines,” specifies Mr. Garrido.

“Sardine fishing is special because it’s a tradition. Everyone loves sardines, especially when they are of good quality,” says Agonia Torrao, captain of a trawler based at the port of Peniche, located in the center of the country.

“It is a fish that exists in abundance along our coasts. This is why we practice this fishing here,” adds the 51-year-old sailor on board his ship.

Despite its historical importance, but also in the imagination of the Portuguese, fishing remains an economic activity in decline. According to the National Institute of Statistics, the country had some 14,000 fishermen last year, 35% fewer than 20 years ago.

During the same period, its fishing fleet was reduced by 28%, to 7,600 boats.