Specially designed swordfish fishing boats in the harbour in Scilla, a town in Calabria, Italy, that overlooks the Tyrrhenian Sea and Strait of Messina. Each boat has a tall mast topped by a lookout platform and, sticking out metres from the front of the boat, a long iron bridge, known as a passarella, which acts as a harpooning platform. From May to August, fishermen head out to catch swordfish in the Strait.
Scilla, Calabria, Italy: swordfish fishing boats. The town of Scilla, overlooking the Tyrrhenian Sea, lies on the Costa Viola (Purple Coast) at the northern end of the Strait of Messina, a stretch of water between Calabria and Sicily. The area has a tradition of fishing for swordfish that goes back more than 2,000 years. From May to August, fishermen head out and catch the fish using traditional methods, on boats with a mast 25 metres high: a member of the crew climbs the mast to look out for the fish and directs the boat; when the fish are spotted, they are harpooned from above by a fisherman standing on a long iron bridge which sticks out metres from the front of the boat and is known as the passarella. (The swordfish fishing boats, which now have diesel motors, are often referred to as passarelle.) The swordfish are known as the ‘Emperors of the Strait’, typically weigh about 100kg and are about two metres long. One third of the fish’s length is made up of its strong ‘sword’ extending from its upper jaw. They spend most of their time in the deep ocean and visit the shallower waters of the Tyrrhenian to mate. In the Strait of Messina, just 3km wide at its closest point, the Tyrrhenian Sea and Ionian Sea meet, creating intense tidal currents and natural whirlpools. It is a popular passing point for the swordfish which swim, often in pairs, through the strong currents. In Greek and Roman mythology, Scylla was a sea monster who haunted the rocks of the Strait, opposite the whirlpool of Charybdis, leading to the modern phrase ‘between a rock and a hard place’.
Size: 2832px × 4256px
Location: Harbour, Harbor, Scilla, Calabria, Italy
Photo credit: © Terence Kerr / Alamy / Afripics
License: Royalty Free
Model Released: No
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