Closed Port

The fishing waters off Sciacca have been closed for two weeks, and they will be closed for another two weeks to try to allow the fish population to regenerate. This will happen in all of the Italian fishing waters, one at a time. For now, the people of Sciacca get their fresh fish either from a neighboring fishing port, or from one of the amateur fishermen who are still allowed to go out and fish. They have not taken advantage of the situation to try to catch more fish, but just do their normal Sunday morning fishing, selling their excess catch at the dock.

It is strange to look outside over the waters in the middle of the night and not see the fishing boats leaving port. Often I have seen as many as twenty boats heading out at three in the morning. Now there are none leaving at that hour, and only few fishermen ignoring the ban and trying to catch calamari and octopus late at night with their special boats with the huge lights. So far they have apprently been ignored by the authorities, who have indeed stepped up patrols during the day, and also have helicopters patrolling the zone around Sciacca.

Sciacca is reportedly the second largest commercial fishing port in Sicily, and Mazara del Vallo, which is about forty five minute drive from here, is not only the largest in Sicily, but the largest in Italy. I am hopeful that closing the waters as they have done, along with stricter enforcement against catching hatchlings for novelame in the spring, will keep the waters healthy and the fishing industry will be able to continue to thrive. My friend Klaus says that much of the water near Greece has been overfished for so long there are almost no fish left there. Sad indeed.

Good or bad, the fishermen do not get a vacation. The dry dock is full of boats being repaired, and the wharf is full of fishermen tending their nets, making permanent the quick temporary fixes they have done all year. The boats are being cleaned inside and out, the motors tuned, and all is being made ready for the season re-opening.