Crecente. Pesqueira de A Follagueira

Crecente

About this heritage

Pesqueiras are spaces created in rivers primarily to fish the prized lamprey. The lamprey is a blue fish and one of the first vertebrates on Earth, even predating the dinosaurs, and today it can be found at depths of about 200 to 400 meters. This fish is also known as the "water vampire" or "the queen of the river" and has inhabited the Galician river courses for over 500 million years. The construction of pesqueiras dates back to the Roman era, although some claim they existed before their arrival. They were built in masonry and located on both banks of the rivers. Fishermen sought suitable areas for this purpose, preferring rocky outcrops with enough water flow to keep it well oxygenated, as these are favored by lampreys. The Miño River, in its middle and lower course in Salvaterra de Miño, As Neves, Arbo, and Crecente (which is the focus here), concentrates the greatest number of pesqueiras. The Pesqueira de la Follagueira was restored in 2016, featuring four poios from which three channels open, and in them the vitirjón or buitrón was placed for lamprey fishing.

To learn more

Pesqueiras are constructions of one or several stone channels separated from each other either parallel or diagonally, creating water currents that facilitate the passage of various fish. These stone-built bodies or channels are called "poios." Between each channel, conical nets were placed to trap their prey, mainly salmon, shad, and lamprey. The Miño River once had more than 700 pesqueiras, and today about 400 remain. Their construction dates back to the Roman era and they hold architectural and ethnographic interest. The Romans already used pesqueiras for lamprey fishing, and today they are part of the cultural and gastronomic life of the inhabitants of the towns along the Miño River, still used for the same purpose with traditional, sustainable, and environmentally respectful techniques. Pesqueiras are also known as "Pescos" and are found in the lower course of the Miño River, spanning approximately 25 kilometers. You can visit them all by following the "route of the Pesqueiras." They date from the Roman era, as lamprey fishing has centuries of history. In the Middle Ages, ownership of pesqueiras was linked to monasteries and feudal houses. In the 20th century, specifically in 1979, they were declared artistic monuments and are listed in municipal documentation as inventoried ethnographic elements. Different fishing techniques are used in pesqueiras, the main one being known as biturón, butrón, voitirón, voteirón, masoura, or nasoura. Lamprey fishing is done at night, and the nets must be checked at least every two hours. The lamprey's body is eel-shaped, its skin smooth and scaleless. It has a sucker-shaped mouth with small horny teeth. Its eyes are small. They breathe through a row of seven openings on each side of their body. Their body lacks a bony skeleton and is supported by a cartilaginous notochord. While young, they have two dorsal fins, which merge as they mature. They feed on the blood and flesh of live prey (fish of various sizes) to which they attach; to prevent the host animal's blood from clotting, they produce an anticoagulant substance. They can live up to 18 years between the sea and river. Their fishing season lasts all year round.

To know it better

In Galicia, even today, there are centuries-old constructions called pesqueiras or pescos. These traditional structures were used for fishing in Galician rivers, exemplified by the Pesqueira de Follagueira in Crecente, a municipality in the province of Pontevedra. The Pesqueira de Follagueira is a hand-built dam that is part of the history of the Miño River. The structure divides the river's course into three channels called poios, which enhance the current's movement by creating faster waters. Additionally, these poios are oriented to control the waters and force lampreys to pass through them. Pesqueiras were usually built in fast-flowing waters, as these are the lampreys' favorites. All these features make it a good fishing area, and thanks to a large conical net (also known as buitrón), different prey were caught. Today, several pesqueiras can be seen along the Miño River, which has the highest concentration of pescos. Furthermore, thanks to an agreement signed with Turismo de Galicia in 2016, this pesqueira was rehabilitated. The rehabilitation was carried out in two phases: first, a cleaning and material restoration phase, followed by the installation of informative panels and improved access. With all this, we can imagine how this construction was used during the Roman era.