Arcade. Port and fishing activity. Associations

About this heritage

Arcade is a coastal parish belonging to Soutomaior City Council. It is located at the end of the estuary, on the left side of the Verdugo river´s mouth, at the bottom of the Vigo estuary.

In the past, it was better known for its industrial activity, the old Carbide factory used to stood out - nowadays a singular building for municipal use – and also the old “Pontesa” ceramic nave that still preserves the remains of Santa Clara earthenware. These companies, together with “Conservas Sueiro” (Sueiro´s canning company) , were at the time the economic engine of the area.

Today the economy looks towards sustainability and returns to the primary sector and services. Thus, in 2019, the village registered an increase of the Social Security registrations, which represents 4.61%, and most of them were in fishing and shell-fishing in Arcade.

The Arcade´s fishermen association, located in the same Port, highlights that in the last year they had 40 new registrations, it seems that the association grows modestly. They are 122 people who perform shell-fishing on foot, which by tradition, is a way of shell-fishing where most are women, in fact only 17 are men.

According to the association´s data, during 2018 fishermen caught 196.000 kilos of Japanese clam from boats, and another 240.000 kilos were caught digging the sand at the beach. The eel is another appreciated specie by fishermen. About 40 boats are dedicated to its capture, they reached 20.000 kilos last season. Now fishermen are trying to revive the oyster´s cultivation, which is currently scarce due to its high mortality rate.

Arcade has a promenade of about 1.700 meters long at the edge of the Verdugo river´s mouth. It is fully illuminated and has wooden footbridge that goes under the Verdugo river´s bridges.

To learn more

In Arcade, the gastronomic festival par excellence is the Oyster festival. The first time that was organized was in 1987 and the idea came by the oyster farmers of the area who considered the village the ideal one.

This parish was the precursor in the consumption, marketing, and export of this marine product that not only exported to other parts of Spain, but also Europe.

The Ostrea edulis oyster also called “European flat oyster”, is a bivalve mollusc that has a shell formed by two very unequal valves, on the outside the surface is very marked and rough. The soft body is wrapped by the mantle (what you eat), and it’s a succulent delicacy.

It is considered as one of the most appreciated edible seafood, being “fresh and raw” its most habitual way of consumption, although it admits other kind of preparations.

The idea was born with the intention of increasing the oyster´s consumption and projecting the image of Arcade as a point of concern in the production and marketing on the same. That is why the “Arcade´s oyster” is known today as a referent.

Oyster farmers, hoteliers, and traders collaborate with the City Council for the celebration of this festival, that takes place the first weekend of April. Time when the oyster is in the best biological conditions for tasting.

Each year, the local opening speech (Pregón) starts the festival in the morning and accompanying the event are also musical, cultural and theatrical arts.

To know it better

Arcade is one of the most populated parishes of the Soutomaior City Council, it stands out for being a seafaring town where oysters have reached a lot of fame. Its fishing port is surrounded by a breakwater that protects it against currents.

This port has four floating docks, which are shared between artisanal fishing boats and small sport motorboats. In addition, these fishing facilities are very shallow and care must be taken. For this reason, it is recommend to access at high tide, and/or with personnel who known the area.

On the other hand, the port has a non-profit organization called “Cofradía de Pescadores de Arcade” (Arcade´s fishermen association). Its partners are engaged in fishing and shell-fishing, in addition to being responsible for promoting and organizing the sector in the area.

Soutomaior is a municipality in the province of Pontevedra. It is located at the Verdugo river´s mouth and San Simón island.