Fishing ports 1The fishing industry and its statistics
Fishing ports
Original title: Portos de Pesca
Lists the fifteen principal fishing ports of the Madeira archipelago where customs supervision and the fish tax applied, with statistics on boats, fishermen and fish landed (1927–1943), including the beginnings of sperm-whaling.
1The fishing industry and its statistics
Listed below are the fishing ports of this archipelago. They are the principal ones, and in them customs supervision is carried out and the tax levied on the fish landed there is collected. There are other small ports where fishing is also practised, but on a very limited scale and sometimes only temporarily.
As stated above, the fishing industry is of relative importance in this archipelago, since some two thousand people are employed in it as their sole occupation, besides those who take it up only temporarily and at certain times of the year. Several thousand people, therefore, depend exclusively on it. It is regrettable that there is no industrial and commercial organisation to protect the workers of this most useful industry effectively and shield them from the unbridled greed of vile and inhuman speculators. It is also greatly to be deplored that no mutual-aid body has been created to provide for the sickness, incapacity and invalidity of these poor and unprotected fishermen.
The esteemed work Estatística das Pescas Marítimas no Continente e Ilhas Adjacentes no ano de 1931 . . » contains some interesting data concerning our archipelago, the Adjacent Islands (Ilhas Adjacentes) being covered alongside the mainland. We wish to place these data on record; they appear in the following table:
| Boats | 1931 | 1930 | 1929 | 1928 | 1927 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1931 | 1930 | 1929 | 1928 | 1927 | |
| Boats: motor-powered | 24 | 21 | - | - | - |
| Sail or oar | 508 | 519 | 490 | 481 | 446 |
Tonnage of boats: motor-powered 231 205 - - -; sail or oar 1141 1024 1130 1096 1002
Number of fishermen: adults 1452 1390 1340 1725 1401; minors 12 26 7 10 26
It would be useful and interesting to present a detailed statistical account of the present period, and in particular of each fishing port, but we do not know whether reliable data exist on this matter. Meanwhile, the information on earlier years that we record here is of value.
2Catches by port, 1941–1943
In the 15 fishing ports of the whole archipelago where the Customs exercise supervision, the weight and value of the fish landed in 1941 were as follows, according to the official figures kindly supplied to us:
| Port | Weight (kg) | Value (escudos) |
|---|---|---|
| Kilos | Escudos | |
| Funchal | 1,060,258 | 1,106,871 |
| Ponta da Cruz | 230 | 214 |
| Câmara de Lobos | 512,491 | 769,674 |
| Ribeira Brava | 46,860 | 52,597 |
| Ponta do Sol | 46,451 | 63,610 |
| Calheta | 78,315 | 93,392 |
| Paul do Mar | 92,026 | 106,756 |
| Porto Moniz | 155,358 | 144,030 |
| São Vicente | 15,000 | 19,234 |
| Ponta Delgada | 14,244 | 16,432 |
| Porto da Cruz | 20,938 | 12,515 |
| Machico | 185,381 | 220,871 |
| Santa Cruz | 56,803 | 67,336 |
| Reis Magos | 18,976 | 23,085 |
| Porto Santo | 30,872 | 23,798 |
Sperm-whaling, which had not previously existed, began in this year. The note referred to states that ‘the species of cetaceans-whales’ yielded 125,312 kilos and 110,827 escudos (Portuguese currency from 1911, = 1,000 réis) at the harbour of Porto Moniz, and 2,386 kilos and 10,000 escudos at the port of the parish (freguesia) of Porto da Cruz. The figures for Porto Moniz include 19 kilos of ‘ambergris’ worth 47,735.00 escudos. For the year 1942:
| Port | Weight (kg) | Value (escudos) |
|---|---|---|
| Kilos | Escudos | |
| Funchal | 977,902 | 1,411,660 |
| Ponta da Cruz | 2,210 | 2,002 |
| Câmara de Lobos | 606,199 | 1,200,961 |
| Ribeira Brava | 52,978 | 75,241 |
| Ponta do Sol | 65,723 | 108,524 |
| Calheta | 73,096 | 116,065 |
| Paul do Mar | 74,645 | 110,063 |
| Porto Moniz | 174,849 | 143,350 |
| São Vicente | 6,286 | 14,096 |
| Ponta Delgada | 2,196 | 4,012 |
| Porto da Cruz | 6,499 | 8,836 |
| Machico | 148,451 | 210,723 |
| Santa Cruz | 60,179 | 87,260 |
| Reis Magos | 121,280 | 93,115 |
| Porto Santo | 40,615 | 28,519 |
It should be noted that the figures for the ports of Porto Moniz and Reis Magos include 72 and 31 sperm whales respectively, besides one at Porto da Cruz, whaling in the seas of this archipelago having already become considerable. The following is what was recorded for the year 1943:
| Port | Weight (kg) | Value (escudos) |
|---|---|---|
| Kilos | Escudos | |
| Funchal | 686,769 | 1,327,572 |
| Ponta da Cruz | 190 | 90 |
| Câmara de Lobos | 899,532 | 2,103,716 |
| Ribeira Brava | 73,609 | 145,107 |
| Ponta do Sol | 77,857 | 160,474 |
| Calheta | 97,103 | 191,260 |
| Paul do Mar | 81,652 | 183,120 |
| Porto do Moniz | 74,934 | 67,444 |
| São Vicente | 6,392 | 35,519 |
| Ponta Delgada | 3,253 | 4,928 |
| Porto da Cruz | 5,241 | 8,945 |
| Machico | 96,877 | 205,629 |
| Santa Cruz | 53,447 | 101,119 |
| Reis Magos | 304,507 | 204,581 |
| Porto Santo | 61,978 | 69,306 |
The figures given above for the ports of Porto Moniz and Reis Magos include 21 and 102 sperm whales respectively, and one at the port of São Vicente.
According to information supplied by the distinguished ichthyologist Adolfo César de Noronha, the fish caught most abundantly in Madeira is the black scabbardfish (espada preta). Three and four thousand scabbardfish often appear in a single day in the city market alone, and it is widely eaten by all social classes. According to the same information, for some years the tuna, ‘which comes from no one knows where and goes no one knows where’, has at certain seasons been caught abundantly in our seas, and is one of the most profitable catches for the fishermen.
The article Fishing and the Fishing Industry contains further information of great relevance to this subject.
In this article
Time
Years mentioned · 04-
Official statistics record boats, tonnage and fishermen in the archipelago for 1927–1931.
-
Sperm-whaling began in Madeira, with catches at Porto Moniz and Porto da Cruz.
-
103 sperm whales were landed at Porto Moniz and Reis Magos, plus one at Porto da Cruz.
-
Câmara de Lobos led Madeira's fish landings, while Reis Magos landed 102 sperm whales.
Place
Places mentioned · 15
- Calheta
Fishing port listed in the statistics.
Calheta is a town, parish and municipality on Madeira's south-west coast and one of the island's oldest settlements. The Elucidário covers its name, early settlers such as Pedro Berenguer, its church and many chapels, including one of a former Franciscan convent, and the 1834 riot.
- Câmara de Lobos
Major fishing port, top by catch in 1943.
Parish west of Funchal. The Elucidário traces its name to Zarco's discovery voyage and describes its churches, chapels and collegiate chapter, early settlers, fishing community and renowned vineyards. It also records the parish's localities, boundaries, levadas and population.
- Funchal
Largest fishing port by catch.
The capital of the archipelago and seat of the principal captaincy, where settlement began; it was made a vila c.1451–52. Its bay, the widest in the archipelago, lies between Ponta do Garajau and Ponta da Cruz and offers sheltered anchorage, though its harbour had never been studied oceanographically. The Elucidário discusses it as a health resort with climate data and records the January 1906 disturbances, the Danish prince's visit in May 1846 and recent volcanic cones in the area.
- Machico
Important fishing port.
The parish of Machico was the landing place of the discoverers Zargo and Tristão Vaz and the seat of the captaincy of Machico; the parish was founded c. 1450. The Elucidário covers its clergy and stipends, chapels, historical events, mineral springs, localities, population and notable natives.
- Paul do Mar
Calheta. Fishing port listed in the statistics.
Paul do Mar is a parish on Madeira's south-west coast, created in 1676 from Estreito da Calheta. It is a fishing port watered by the old Rabaçal levada, where malvasia is grown and trachoma was reported to be very frequent. It had the Santo António fortress, a band, and salt works from about 1865 that were later abandoned for lack of profit.
- Ponta da Cruz
Funchal. Minor customs-supervised fishing port.
This Ponta da Cruz is a headland in São Martinho regarded as the western limit of Funchal bay. It was once the site of a small redoubt and lies near a fish-canning factory.
- Ponta Delgada
São Vicente. Fishing port listed in the statistics.
Ponta Delgada is a parish on Madeira's north coast, one of the three parishes of the concelho of São Vicente, with a headland and a small fishing harbour. Its feast of Senhor Jesus is a great pilgrimage of vows, and it was the seat of a capitania-mor. It recorded 409 cholera deaths in 1856.
- Ponta do Sol
Fishing port listed in the statistics.
South-coast parish and municipality, settled from about 1440 by Rodrigo Enes 'o Coxo'. Its parish church of Nossa Senhora da Luz holds a triptych. The Elucidário also records its quay of 1848, paid for by the council, and the royal visit of 1858.
- Porto da Cruz
Machico. Fishing port where some sperm whales were landed.
North-coast parish created in 1577 and noted for good-quality wines. It was transferred from Santana to Machico municipality in 1852 and was the seat of a capitania-mor. It was also a fishing port where some sperm whales were landed.
- Porto Moniz
Fishing port where sperm-whaling began in 1941.
North-western parish and municipality with a quay and a tolerable port that serves as a good landing when southerly winds close the south coast. It has one of the oldest Magdalene chapels in northern Madeira, whose feast falls on 22 July. It was the birthplace of Dr Manuel Gomes Jardim.
- Porto Santo
Island whose fishing port is listed.
An island of the archipelago, settled alongside Madeira and forming one of the three captaincies. It has always constituted a single parish, dedicated to Nossa Senhora da Piedade, whose church was repeatedly sacked. The Elucidário records the Moorish pirate raid of 1617, its own Misericórdia and a rainwater channel built on this drought-prone island.
- Reis Magos
Santa Cruz. Fishing port that became a leading whaling station, with 102 sperm whales in 1943.
Cove with a beach and small, poor port on the coast of Caniço parish, a fishing centre of some importance. It became a leading whaling station, with 102 sperm whales taken in 1943, and had a Fiscal Guard post of the Machico section.
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People
People mentioned · 01-
Madeiran ichthyologist whose information on the black scabbardfish and tuna catches is cited here.