Fishermen's Villages Martinique.

Charming fishing ports are coiled along the coasts of Martinique. Small communities perpetuate there a traditional way of life based on an artisanal and primarily coastal fishing. Here, time passes quietly, far from the sirens of modernity. The fishermen continue to draw the net or to pose their bow nets, like time of the Caribbean. And with the modern trawlers, they prefer, their skiffs and their gommiers, whom they give facetious names.

Fishermen's Villages

Subjective list of the small villages of charm.

Anse Dufour

Nested to the bottom of a beach of the Caribbean southern coast, this small village of fishermen offers a voyage in the past. Houses are aligned at the edge of the beach on which wait on their skiffs. Splendid framework, beautiful sea-beds, restaurants to taste the fishing of the day... Unavoidable! (Martinique Beaches Guide)

Petite-Anse

In the south of the Caribbean coast, with the feet of Morne Larcher, the village of Petite-Anse also seems him as survivor of old times. Restoring in edge of beach.

Sainte-Luce

In the south of the island, vis-a-vis St-Lucia, the large Sainte-Luce borough accomodates a significant community of fishermen. The catches of the day are sold same to the gommiers, or on the stalls which border the beach. Many small bar-restaurants, feet in water, very pleasant.

Cap Chevalier

Along the beaches of the Cap Chevalier, on the Atlantic southern coast, a vast lagoon closed by a barrier extends from coral. Some fishermen still practise on this water sheltered of the techniques of ancestral fishings. You will see them crossing the lagoon on frail floated wood rafts. Sumptuous beaches, turquoise water, wild nature... (Martinique Beaches Guide)

Tartane

At the entry of the peninsula of the Caravel, on the Atlantic coast, the borough of Tartane is stretched. Long beach bordered of shelters of fishermen, nets and bow nets drying with the sun, boats of all the colors. Small market. Bar-restaurants.

Le Carbet

On this beautiful sun flooded beach of the Caribbean coast a group of fisherman lives. The boats "Gommiers" are on sand, of the small shelters out of wooden protect the material. and with the center, a carbet is used as restaurant. One eats there the fishs of the day in a merry environment. The weekend, the sound system spits its decibels and the guests dance on sand.

Photos Library

Stroll at the fishermen
Tartane, Sainte-Luce, Cap Chevalier ...

Race of Skiffs
Arrival of a stage of the Tour de la Martinique

Martinique's Skiffs

For a long time, the fishermen from Martinique will sail on a type of boat identical to that used by the indian people : "Gommier", cut of only one part in the tree trunk of the same name. Its behaviour under sail not being free from reproach, the fishermen gradually give up it with the profit of the Skiff, broader and ballasted better, inspired of the Breton boats. Very early, the best crews take the practice to confront at the time of regattas opponents the various communes. This tradition gave birth in the years 1970 to a competition: The "Tour de Martinique" in Skiff. A surprising spectacle. The over sailed skiffs slip by like rockets. The crews playing the mobile role of ballast in balance on wood-drawn up do not made any gifts. The wind can go up, they never reduce the sail. And sometimes, that breaks. On arrival of the stage, it is the madness. Crowd acclaims the winners and the festival starts at the rhythm of the drums. See Photos Library

Techniques of traditional fishings

• Fish with the Bow net : Very practised, fishing with the bow net goes back to the time of the Caribbean. The fishermen immerse between 10 and 40m depth, large racks, now fitted latticework on, whose reinforcement is out of wood of Ti-balsam. At the interior, they have for soft foods of the ends of fish or pulp coconut. The method is effective, vivaneaux, sardes, captains, lobsters... are let take with the trap.

• Fish with the "Senne" : This technique of collective fishing imply the participation of almost all the inhabitants of the village. Gommiers lay out a long net of several hundred meters in arc of circle on a sandy bottom close to the shore. Once the trap installed, the villagers draws the net on the beach.

• Fish to Miquelon : It is the expression used by the local fishermen to indicate the high-sea fishing. It is there that they catch with a line of drag, tunas, espadons, or the thazards.

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