Los Guineos
Since the date referenced in my original post I had not encountered fishermen on the beach until yesterday. A little after 6PM 2 harpoon-toting, diving lamp-dangling, wet suit-wearing divers passed by on the beach with no fish. I was caught reconciling that maybe they had already sold their catch further up the beach until they got out of reach. Shortly thereafter, however, a solitary, similarly garbed fisherman passed in front. I ran him down. I asked why no fish? Why hadn't I seen fishermen for so long? He replied by asking, were they day or night fishermen? Excuse my ignorance for not knowing the fishermen had shifts :surprised. He enlightened me. All, of course, was practical.
He explained that they begin snorkeling/diving from El Cortecito (that’s where he was heading) a little after dusk when the fish come closer to the shore, many to sleep, and so, easier to catch. From this beginning they ride the currents, diving, harpooning, and securing their catches all the way to Los Guineos beach. There they bring their catch in at around midnight, a total of around 5 hours in the water. He told me if I wanted to buy that I should be there at that time. Needless to say, I got there an hour early with a small cooler w/ice and a machete in tow.
The machete????????, one never knows what lurks behind those palm trees, hotel beach equipment, or in the shallow waters in the dead of night. It did come in handy fending off the dogs. In addition to the Los Guineos dogs, I met the Los Guineos security guard who fortunately helped control the many dogs. He took me into the market place that was closed and desolate at that time of day/night. Los Guineos is typical of beach front artesan markets that cater to tourists, similar to, and north of, El Cortecito. It was dark and my senses were on high when the guard took me to a white p/u truck where he introduced me to Fello (Feyo), the vehicle owner, former fisherman, and middleman/point person for the fishermen. The back of the truck was filled w/coolers for stowing the catches after they came to shore.
Fello, the security guard, and I began talking. In a short time it seemed we talked about everything under that starry night sky. We figured out that the reason the market is called Los Guineos is that the workers there all have to wear yellow, and that in another area where workers wear green it is called Las Cotorras. We talked about how the northern and southern air currents interact with each other in that area and how these affect fishing, which under good enough conditions occurs nightly (even on Sundays and holidays). Then, like clockwork, he tells me that the 3 fishermen that had set off to El Cortecito earlier in the day were about to come to shore there in Los Guineos, and that we should head to the shore to meet them.
Once there Fello started peering out into the water like a hawk and with same visual acuity. Except for some whitewater surf in the distance, I couldn’t see diddly. Almost immediately he says there they come, and asks if I I could see their lights in the distance. I still could not see but then I began to distinguish first one light and then all three dive lamps from the white surf. I confirmed these because they would go on and off intermittently, perhaps to save battery, or perhaps to keep from startling the fish. As the lighting got closer to shore I likened the night vision of these on and off illuminations as akin to lightening bug and/or Xmas phenomena.
The men came ashore with loads and helped fill my cooler. They explained that the red fish we were trying to identify in previous exchanges on this thread they call butu. The fish caught, many shellfish included, all seemed large. I’ll be sharing all, stories included w/friends and neighbors and hopefully gain some cooking recipes, techniques, and stories of their own in return. My own was one of a rich evening filled w/excitement, socialization, culture, learning, and etc. It was a total experience I won’t easily forget. Despite its lengthy account herein, I wanted to share it with you, if not some of the catch.
Note: In anticipation of the customary warnings about fishing code and restrictions, I preempt w/that these were local fishermen within a fishing community and economy; that they fish to make a living and support their families; that I don’t have a problem buying from them and so you shouldn’t have a problem w/me buying from them either; and finally, that there seemed to be plenty of fish in those waters, and that, as stated in the previous, the catch was of very large fish.
