Venâncio Fernandes, 67 years old, started fishing for lamprey at the age of seven with his father on the Minho River. Since retiring, he has dedicated himself more actively to the trade and to Pesqueiras – Associação Dos Pescadores do Rio Minho (Fishermen's Association of the Minho River), where he serves as president.
Pesqueiras – Associação Dos Pescadores do Rio Minho
Charneca
4960-010 Melgaço
Alvaredo
+351 961 132 009 (Venâncio Fernandes)
Facebook/@Pesqueiras- Associação dos Pescadores do Rio Minho
Introduced by
João Rodrigues
Texto de Teresa Castro Viana
Fotografias de Joana Freitas
"I've been a fisherman on the Minho River for 60 years," says Venâncio Fernandes, 67, with pride. Born into a family of fishermen, he started young, at just seven years old. "I would leave primary school and meet my father at the river."
From that time on, he developed a "passion for the river, that love, that affection." He served in the military, worked as a customs officer, but once he retired, he dedicated himself fully to fishing. "I see the river as if it were a member of my family."
The Minho River has two types of fishing: professional fishing and subsistence fishing, practiced in the pesqueiras—large stone constructions located along the riverbanks. "There is a rotation scale dating back to 1947, when there were 694 pesqueiras on the Portuguese side. Today, around 200 or so might still be active," he explains. But with species on the verge of extinction—"over the past three years, I've noticed a significant decrease"—there's no point in activating more. "On the river, as in life, there’s the good and the bad."
He believes that "the future of fishing on the Minho River is in the hands of the new generations." Although he acknowledges that some want to carry on the legacy, he admits, "If a young person goes to the river and comes back with little or nothing, they immediately start to feel discouraged. They lose time, invest in nets—it’s very complicated." This year, exceptionally, the lamprey fishing season will begin on March 1, fifteen days later than usual, "to see if more lamprey enter the river."
Venâncio Fernandes is also the president of Pesqueiras – Associação Dos Pescadores do Rio Minho, whose mission is to promote the queen of the Minho River and ensure that the trade is not forgotten. "The Minho River only brings me expenses," he confesses, but it has taught him everything. "I played on its banks, with sheep and cattle, learned to swim in the river, and one day, I want to say goodbye and thank it for everything it has given me."
