"Tainha" fishing tradition in Florianópolis

Season (2022) started on May 1st and lasts for 90 days. About 4 thousand professionals should participate in the activity this year.

The month of May marks the beginning of a Santa Catarina tradition: "Tainha" fishing. In Florianópolis, around 4,000 fishermen are expected to participate in this year's season. They hope to catch 2,000 tons of the fish, according to the Federation of Fishermen of the State of Santa Catarina (Fepesc). The artisanal mullet fishing season lasts a total of 90 days.

Since mid-April, fishermen have been preparing to continue the tradition. A typical day starts before 5am. The attentive look of the “watchman”, a fisherman assigned to be at a higher point on the beach, warns of the approach of a shoal while the other professionals prepare for fishing. Six go in the canoe, most with the function of paddling, and the others stay on the sand, holding one end of the net.

Each ranch has 30 to 50 fishermen, who are on site daily. Despite their great movement at this time of year, few professionals survive only from fishing for mullet. Maintaining the culture has become increasingly difficult, according to what the fishermen say, due to lack of incentive.

The mullet season occurs at three different times. On May 1st, only trawling, known as artisanal, is released. On May 15, it is already possible to do ringed fishing, with motor, and, from June 1, industrial fishing.

What is a "Tainha" fish?

"Tainha" is a fish that belongs to a family known as mugilidae. This aquatic animal is spread all over the Planet; most can be placed in the Mugil genus, but other genera also fall into this category.