Madrague

History

This artisanal inshore fishing, but which requires means and organization, is practiced in the Mediterranean since antiquity by the Greek and the Phéniciens, at the time of the migration of the Thon S towards - and with the return - places of laying.

The Phénicien S already manufactured madragues out of snap rings then in esparto manufacture, auffes, hemp and cotton, soaked in a decoction of barks of pine and oak, mixed tannins which lengthened the lifespan of the material.

The Phocée NS probably brought with them this technique of fishing at the time of Greek colonization to the Western Mediterranean, at sixth century BC.

Many madragues perduré on the Mediterranean coast of France (madragues of Giens, Marseilles, of Niolon (Nioulon), of Sausset, Gignac (Ginas), of Carry, Saint-Tropez, etc) until the beginning of the 20th century, they often concerned a privilege held by the local lords.

Fishermen local are in general hostile with madragues, which prohibits them to fish in zone of net, and whose exploitation is subjected to good pleasure of the King, of which it is necessary to obtain letters patent which are delivered subject to remuneration out of money, but also against a levy on the production. From this privilege, the " patron" of a madrague Roy (lou Rey into of Provence) is often called.

Fishing with the madrague, under the pressure of the fishermen and because of the privileges which are attached there, was prohibited in France as from 1851, and three only remain in 1894.

It is practiced still nowadays in spring and in summer, during the migration of the benches, in particular off the coasts of Sicily and Tunisia.

By observing the provision and the orientation of the old fixed madragues in the Mediterranean, (French coasts or north African) have could indeed determine the direction of migration of these fish (in the opposite direction of the needles of a watch) the entry of the hopper is open east coast on the French coasts and west coast on the African coasts.

The sinners amateurs of tuna " with the drag " could observe that by going up their catch on board the fish fixed on the line described Toujours circles in the opposite direction of the needles of a watch (see higher " migration" ) y-a is a bond and which the reason??

Technique

The madrague is a technique of fishing to blue fin tuna traditional in the Mediterranean. It consists in trapping fish benches during their migration S along the coasts. Large-sized nets are laid out so as to form a trap on successive floors, and to direct and gather tunas towards the “room of death”. The nets are anchored to the bottom and are retained on the surface by floats. When fish are taken, from the Bateau X come to place all around the room of death, then the nets are gradually raised so as to tighten tunas on a few square meters and the setting with dead ( matanza in Italian) intervenes.

Linguistics

the term madrague , madrago in Of Provence, comes directly from the Greek Mandra-ago (see also the related terms bludgeon , matador , matamore ).

In creole, a madraguor (or maldraguor) designates somebody who speaks much without never doing what he says. Another definition says that a madraguor is a womanizer.

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