This month I was having lunch in the seafood restaurant at the harbour in Sagres. Just below us were many varied fishing boats in the dock and the auction room. I wanted to learn more.
Docapesca—Portos e Lotas, SA, is a state business entity supervised by the Ministry of the Sea. It is part of a European consortium that provides necessary services for fishermen and their customers. It has branches in many locations along Portugal’s extensive coast. After making enquiries, I was invited to visit the operation. I made an appointment with facility manager Carlos Duarte and, with my investigative partner, Monique, we set off for Sagres docks.
On arrival we met the dock master and public relations coordinator, Snr Rui. There are 65 registered vessels representing over 100 fishermen in Sagres. The harbour, known as Baleeira, is a secure and naturally protected location for commercial vessels as well as pleasure yachts.
“Fishing boats, registered with us here in Sagres, depart the dock around 5 am and head for the fishing grounds,” explained Rui. “There are different locations depending on the desired catch. We have an app that allows us, here at the port, to track the vessels and see when they will return so we can arrange the most efficient docking. The fresh fish kept alive in wells, are unloaded from the boats, identified and tagged, and then placed in trays ready for the auction.”
There is quite a diverse selection of fish in Portuguese waters and various techniques for catching them. Cuttlefish and sole are usually caught in a trammel net, bream and red mullet in bottom-set gill nets, and seine nets are used for sardines and mackerel. A system of setting long lines is used for bream, conger eel, skate and more. During the auction, we saw all of them and others as well.
The auction house is arranged with a tiered seating arrangement overlooking the fish as they pass by in trays on the conveyor belt. Registered and licensed buyers (not members of the public) are provided with an infrared remote control or online access by a push-button remote. An employee in the first booth, alongside the conveyor belt, identifies the fish in the tray as it passes by. The name of the boat that caught the fish, the weight and the suggested price are all flashed on a screen for the buyers’ information.
The tray on the conveyor belt then passes by a second booth, where an employee holds up the fish for buyers to see. When a buyer sees a tray he likes at the right price he pushes the button. The purchase is then tagged as his and moved off the belt. The offer is registered and the tray is deposited in a designated space belonging solely to that buyer.
After the auction was completed, we were informed that eight tons of fish had been sold. Buyers then paid for their purchases. All the trays were liberally covered in ice before being wheeled out to waiting trucks for delivery to markets, fishmongers and wholesalers.
The whole process was extremely efficient. The Sagres facility was clean and hygienic and has been applauded by the Ministry of the Sea and Docapesca.
The ministry advises and assists fishermen in many areas of the industry. Fish stocks are monitored and regulated by season, so some species are off-limits during the breeding season. Also, fish quotas are stipulated to preserve some types of fish. Rubbish caught in nets is encouraged to be brought ashore for disposal.
When it comes time for vessel maintenance, Docapesca can advise on the best haul-out facility for the type of vessel in question. There have been huge changes over the last 50 years, from wood to aluminium and fibreglass.
There are 22 Docapesca operations around Portugal’s coast. The Docapesca website is a valuable resource for fishermen and everyone in the chain.
Fish, in all its forms, is an important mainstay in Portugal’s food industry, so it was reassuring to find such an efficient and regulated process to get it from ‘sea to table’.
