Cherriola

A fishing rig much used by the fishermen of Machico. It consists of a central line or main line (madre), which hangs vertically and to which 4 or 5 small rods of quince or osier are fixed horizontally, 3 palmos apart; from their ends hang small lines or snoods (loros) with their hooks. At its lower end the central line carries a stone sinker (pandulho), which makes the rig descend, and at its upper end it is tied to an ordinary fishing line. It is used mainly to catch adult wreckfish (chernes), working in depths of 200 and 300 braças, where hake, gata, ramudo, xara and other oily fish may also be taken. The rig resembles what in Portugal is called the barqueira de arame, and like it is let down vertically until the sinker touches the sea floor. The cherriola (vertical multi-hook deep-water line) of the Câmara de Lobos (‘seals’ den’) fishermen differs somewhat from the one described above. As to the origin of the term, it is not unreasonable to suppose that the rig, because the arrangement of its rods bears a certain resemblance to the surriola booms – which are rigged perpendicular to the side of certain ships and from which ropes hang for mooring the boats – received the name surriola, which was corrupted into cherriola.