the traditional know-how of the fishermen of the Etang de Thau

In Mèze (Hérault), the fishermen of the Etang de Thau embark every morning at dawn. At the controls, there is Yannick Cartier. His nephew, Rémi Vialla, who will take over, is present at his side. This family of fishermen is one of the last to still criss-cross the Etang de Thau. To discover the loot of the day, you have to lift the nets, one by one. In one of them are eels.

The fish are then sorted. “We remove all the small fish (…), to keep only the eels”, explains Rémi Vialla. A meticulous and physical work, because the traps weigh more than 100 kilos. But it takes more than strength to fish well. The success is also based on the equipment, with traditional nets whose mesh tightens as it goes along to trap the fish. Nets that often have to be brought back to the port to be dried and repaired. Each trap is inspected to avoid unpleasant surprises. Everything is made by hand.