Basque ethnography at a glance

Net makers in Lekeitio. Source: Nieves Mendazona.

Sareginak (net makers) represent a traditional, manual and highly specialized trade, which has been transmitted generation after generation. Historically, the sareginak of the ports of Bizkaia have been an important support for maritime activity. Their work has been essential so that the fishermen could have their nets ready to go out to sea the following day. However, with the decline of coastal fishing in recent years, this profession has suffered a significant decline, and is now on the verge of extinction.

The new makers began their profession from a very young age, following the family tradition. They learned to repair the nets in the family boat, from their mother or another woman in the family. Once they had mastered the basic stitches, they would go to work at the port, organized in teams, and the teachers or group leaders would guide them and teach them the techniques of the trade. Thus, through practice and years of experience, they became professional sareginak.

The nets break for various reasons: strong currents, bad manoeuvres, the weight of the fish bags or getting stuck in the rocks. Therefore, the net makers must realize diverse types of repairs; as they say, breaks are never equal. This requires experience: a bad repair can mean not being able to go out to the sea, which directly affects the crew’s income.

As for the materials, cotton nets were used in the past, and they were usually painted to make them harder and more durable. It was hard work: the nets were dipped in hot mixtures in large ink tanks and then hung on poles to dry. With the arrival of nylon and other new materials, this work disappeared and the nets became lighter, more resistant and easier to repair.

The working dynamic of the sareginak was organized in groups: each group had its own supervisor, a sotapatroia (second ship master), who distributed the work, controlled the billing and had to give explanations to the owners or ship-owners. In the middle of the 20th century, there were around 50 sareginak in Ondarroa and 120 in Bermeo.

The net maker Guruzne Badiola in Ondarroa, 2022. Author: Gabo Punzo. Source: Labayru Fundazioa Photographic Archive.

As for their salaries, they have always been paid by the hour, and their income has always depended on the work done. It has been customary to work on Saturdays and Sundays, to repair the nets of the boats that went out on weekends. On the other hand, their work has never been properly valued: despite being a technical and specialized work, they have not received recognition there; and it has always been difficult to live alone on the salary that they have always had.

The working day was organized according to the fishing season: the high season of mackerel, sardine, anchovy, tuna and horse mackerel marked the annual work rhythm. They had more work in spring and summer, and in winter, coinciding with the biological pause; they carried out maintenance work to prepare the nets for the following season. They also worked during the night, especially in the 1960s, when shallow water fishing experienced a boom.

The working conditions were very hard: you had to work in the street, sitting on the ground, with humidity, cold or under the sun. Although the seats and resources have gradually improved (scaffolds, chairs), the positions and conditions that have been supported for many years have caused numerous health problems, especially in the joints and the back.

The tools for working the nets are simple but basic: hands, needles (of different sizes and uses), scissors and thread. Although nowadays plastic needles are used, originally they were made of wood and had to be boiled in salt water to make them flexible.

In short, women who work with networks have played a fundamental role in the fishing tradition of the Basque Country. Their practical knowledge and skills have been transmitted from generation to generation, but today they are in danger, both because of the transformation of fishing and because of the lack of continuity between the new generations. The historical and cultural knowledge of the sareginak is in danger of disappearing, although their silent and tireless work is an important part of our heritage.

Akaitze Kamiruaga

Popular Cultural Heritage Department – Labayru Fundazioa