Page 7 - HOH

Friday 27 May 2022 LOCAL
A10

History of fishing in Aruba

boyo. food and beverages. For with it he is able to feed
bait he uses sardines, squid his family even during hard
Cruising off the coast the and the small fish known times. It is a very dangerous
Aruban fisherman patient- in Aruba as piskechi. The job and you have to spend
ly waits for a fish willing to have two boats they use many hours on the sea,
snap at the bait on the for fishing. ‘Virgen del Valle’ waiting patiently and risk-
drag-line, in nets and traps. which is parked at the pier ing your life while fighting a
Veritable giants are some- by the Seaport and ‘Pa- big fish and big waves but
times caught. Barracudas drot’ which they have at the adrenaline it brings with
weigh from 9 to 44 pounds home. it but also just sitting there
and measure from 3 to al- listening to the sound of the
most 7 feet. The king-fish The fish they catch they waves and enjoying the
has a weight from 22 to 44 take home to their families marvelous view that nature
pounds; the moclat may and they also sell it to their has to offer is all worth it. q
tip the scales at 155, whilst clients. Gregory is proud to
garfish, having a length of be a fisherman. It is a hon- Source: Etnia Nativa
nine feet, weigh over 132 est and humble job but
pounds.

Most fish caught is used
for their own consumption,
to feed their families and
some are being sold in the
market to local restaurants.

Fisherman Gregory Wernet
ORANJESTAD — Fishing has Gregory Wernet is a well-
been a family tradition for As a source of income, how- known fisherman from San-
ages in Aruba. Our ances- ever, fishing did not amount ta Cruz. His father taught
tors used to fish for a living. too much. In the beginning him fishing when he was
Even though nowadays of the 1900’s approximately a small child. Gregory has
you don’t see them often 160 people earn their living two sons, Jordan and Jor-
we still have some passion- in this branch of this indus- danny, which he taught
ate fishermen on the island try. Rancho, which stands fishing too, when they were
that go out every day in for a shed, nowadays east only 3 years old and he
search for fish to feed their Oranjestad, was the head takes them fishing with him.
families and serve our local quarter and remains the Fishing has been a fam-
market. One of these fisher- fishermen’s settlement. Sa- ily tradition for quite a long
man is Gregory Wernet. vaneta, Noord, Santa Cruz time and even his grand-
all had their fishermen’s vil- son Willvion of 7 years old
The so-called Continen- lages. At a rough estimate is following his grandfather
tal Bank between Aruba there were about a hun- steps. This is the sixth gen-
and the opposite coast dred small fishing boats eration of fishermen in their
reaches a depth of about during that time. family.
650 feet. The sea is very rich The Arubans were mainly They go deep sea fishing.
in fish here. Since the time engaged in coastal fishing, There they catch red snap-
of the indigenous native using rowing-boats or small per, grouper and amber-
people fish and other sea sailing-boats, and lines or jack. They usually fish for
creatures such as turtles, dragnets and canisters in 15 hours a day, but now
octopus squids, conch and shallow water. When fish- due to the covid-19 mea-
many type of crustaceans ing with deep-sea lines just surements they go fishing
have formed a means of over the bottom of the sea from 5 in the morning until
subsistence for the native the boat is kept in place by 8 o’clock at night or even
Aruban inhabitants. Espe- means of a piece of rock sometimes from 8 at night
cially along the west coast serving as an anchor. The till 5 in the morning. The
of the island where the fish- two most important species day before they prepare
ing grounds are settlements of fish by far caught in this all their fishing tools such as
of fishermen. Until the ar- manner are the pargo or the Lines, lures, spears, and
rival of the oil -industry Aru- red snappers and a variety load their boat with fishing
ban fishermen could supply of groupers like the mero, reels, batteries, fill the gaso-
Aruba’s wants. jeanpao and the wowo di line tank, lights and some