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If it is more of the sea than of the mountain, addicted to the rumor of the waves and sighs for a good seafood dish, read on. The sea is the absolute protagonist of Pesca-Turismo , an educational and recreational experience in the heart of the Costa de Azahar , specifically in Castellón de la Plana. This initiative proposes a new way of doing tourism, reconciling it with the culture and customs of the territory. Its objective is to provide an immersion in the seafaring tradition aboard El Paraíso, a 28-meter-long boat in which to live in first person the art of inshore fishing.
Of course, early rises and much. The day starts at 4.30 in the port of Grao de Castellón. From there it departs with Pedro and Lorenzo Guzmán (brothers and boat owners) and with Javier, Pablo, Enrique and Paco, the crew members and our hosts during the next few hours (about 10 or 12, depending on the chosen area to fish).
During the first hours, while sailing offshore, there is hardly anything to do or observe. The landscape is always the same, darkness, has not yet dawned. It is the freedom to do nothing. Meanwhile, in the cockpit Pedro, the captain , and Lorenzo have already set the course towards the southern fishing grounds, facing the Valencian coast. «We'll see how it happens today. Yesterday it was very good, but it was the first day the ban was opened and that always shows. Their salary depends on what they call "the part," that is, they are charged as they are caught , if they do not fish, nothing is earned and the expenses are very high.
CONCERN FOR THE MEDITERRANEAN
Rocked by a constant sway that tirelessly accompanies the entire trip, we chat. Pedro confesses his concern for the Mediterranean. «In order for its waters to recover seriously, it would be necessary to make a ban of at least two years without fishing, so that the fishing ground would be regenerated. And then it would have to be much more regulated, schedules, fishing areas ... ». He acknowledges that «the fleet is gradually going less. As no one wants to go fishing anymore and it will be lost in a few years, this will self-regulate alone. In the end there will be four small boats in each port and that's it ».
And it seems that he is right. In 10 years the trawlers, the bou in Valencian, have gone from 26 to 13 and the same fate has run the trailleras (boats that fish at night in search of anchovies and sardines ). They speak with love and a certain nostalgia for a medium that has given them everything. A way of life that has the days counted. And that of Castellón is the first fish market in the Valencian Community , by volume of fish and diversity of species.
After hours sailing, the twilight calm disappears, Paradise reduces speed and activity begins . All occupy their positions for the launch of networks with the speed and precision that routines grant. Two sailors monitor the powerful coils that are releasing the thick ropes and the cables that hold the nets; two others control the chains and buoys that are sliding into the water through the steel gates that must keep the mouth of the net open while advancing along the bottoms about 300 meters deep .
SAILOR AND COOK
During the time that the drag lasts, about two hours or so, the ship advances slowly, at an approximate speed of two knots (less than four kilometers per hour). Meanwhile, and if so far it is still immune to dizziness, it is time to contemplate the immense scenario, dotted with seagulls. And also to savor, at an impromptu table on the deck , the delicious ranch prepared by Javier, a sailor in addition to an excellent cook, already prepare a fideuá with crayfish and prawns accompanied with garlic oil that prawns passed through the pan. Recipes that are resurrected just like a dead man or a dizzy man. "Only music is at sea level," said Albert Camus. That's because he didn't taste Chef Javier's dishes.
After hours and kilometers of drag arrives finally the arriado. That's when the engines stop and the ship stops: the show begins. The precise gear starts, in a maneuver that lasts just over half an hour. The powerful motor rotates again and the coils slowly rescue the unfolded mesh from the water until it slides on the deck. A robust crane lifts the valuable and heavy load to deposit it on a platform. Kilos and kilos of an amalgam of creatures that squirm and exhale air puffs: sea bass, horse mackerel, mullets, octopus, prawns, monkfish, cuttlefish , crayfish, pickles, molleras ... everything depends on the fishing ground, the season and also the day .
With a stunning skill, the crew classifies the species by species and size, and then deposit them in trays, cover them with ice and store them in cold stores until they arrive at the port. Very well protected, this precious treasure travels that in just a few hours will end up in our dishes. The same operation of the launch and rental of networks is carried out once again, the latter heading to the port. But the number may vary: three, four or five sets, it all depends on the distance and the time needed to return to the mooring port in time, not later than five in the afternoon.
Escorted by a retinue of seagulls and terns, at the scheduled time the ship moor in the port. With amazing speed the capture is unloaded and transported to the fish market located a few meters away. There, suspicious of strange looks, is always auctioned down. «Monday is the best day, then it goes down and Friday you pay very badly». The price we will pay for gender in markets and restaurants is another story. This concludes this tourist experience that El Paraíso has been developing for just two years in the port of Castellón : together with another vessel in Vinaroz, they are the only two that have launched it throughout the community. An activity that offers the opportunity to immerse yourself fully in the marine tradition.
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