Garda Fishery: Tradition, Techniques, and Future Challenges
As many as 600 tons of fish are caught annually, generating a total revenue of at least 7 billion lire. This substantial business is carried out by the 150 professional fishermen operating along the shores of Lake Garda. The data comes from the videocassette “Fishermen of Garda“, produced by Gianluigi Miele and Giorgio Vedovelli for the Centro Studi per il Territorio Benacense: 30 minutes of footage illustrating current fishing techniques used on Garda and reconstructing those of the past.
Activities and Traditions of the Fishermen
“We also documented the activities of the guilds of the ancient inhabitants of Garda and Torri, who still hold the rights to fishing in the San Vigilio fish market,” explains Giorgio Vedovelli, director of the museum of Torri del Benaco and one of the leading scholars of local realities. “Fishing on Garda is an important economic reality, but it forms part of this micro-economy that is often underestimated,” adds Gianluigi Miele.
“The fishermen mainly sell their catch to restaurants and hotels, i.e., those involved in the tourism chain, thus maintaining and sustaining traditional gastronomy tied to fish products. For several years now, restaurateurs have been reintroducing local dishes, mostly based on fish, and customers have responded successfully. But the first link in this economic chain is precisely the fishermen.”
Producing the videocassette took two years. “I mainly handled the historical research, while Miele oversaw the audiovisual production and the texts,” Vedovelli explains further. “It was a comprehensive investigation across the entire lake, including the provinces of Brescia and Trento, although we naturally focused on local realities, such as the municipalities of Peschiera, Garda, Torri, and those in the upper Verona lake area.”
Fishing Techniques and Environmental Changes
“We faithfully recorded the fishing techniques with nets offshore, which are still in use today,” Miele continues, “while others, now obsolete, we filmed after reconstructing them with the help of fishermen, who gladly collaborated with us.” It is the case, for example, of using nets to catch schools of agole in reproduction near the shore.
“These methods of fishing have disappeared because the sexual behaviors of the fish have changed. Previously, sparids laid eggs near the shore. The term ‘frega’ derives from the females rubbing their bellies against stones to facilitate egg-laying. Fishermen used to catch the recently spawed fish, but now agole reproduce away from the shore, on algae, at depths of about 50 meters. This marked the end of a certain type of fishing.”
But changes are not limited to fish behaviors. “Lake Garda is subject to a certain cycle, and some species, at certain times, nearly disappeared. About 15 years ago, it was almost impossible to find rudd and bleak. Now they have reappeared, thanks in part to the restocking efforts by the Province of Verona‘s fishing department, which seeds millions of fry each year,” Miele explains.
Indeed, bleak now account for 45 percent of the catch, while alosa, or garfish, are decreasing but remain in second place. The fishermen also deliver on average 25 tons of alborelle, three tons of perch, two of eels, three or four tons of carpione, three tons of pike, and one ton of trout annually.
Impact on Local Culture and Future Perspectives
“Fish is one of the core elements of the material culture of the area, reflecting the concrete conditions of local life. If fish were to disappear, it would have a very strong impact on the local economy, akin to suddenly losing oil—the other product that characterizes the Benacense reality,” Vedovelli points out, concluding: “Our intention is to publish the videocassette in English and German as well, to introduce foreigners to the less well-known aspects of the lake. For this, we have applied for funding from the Verona Chamber of Commerce and are awaiting a response.
In the meantime, we are promoting the documentary among Veronese, especially young people, who know very little about this reality.” The video will soon be available in stationery shops across Garda villages, but for now, interested parties can request a copy from the Centro Studi per il Territorio Benacense in Torri del Benaco.