As he photographs our oceans for National Geographic, Brian
Skerry often dives in to fishing traditions around the world.
Brian recently sent us this postcard from Spain, where he’s
photographing a yearly practice called mattanza. For more than a
thousand years, Spanish fishermen have set up a maze of nets
known as almadraba in the Strait of Gibraltar—the narrow stretch
of water between Spain and Morocco. The nets catch Atlantic
bluefin tuna as they swim through the strait to return to their
Mediterranean spawning grounds. This dramatic photo, taken by
Jeff Wildermuth, shows Brian snapping pictures as fishermen haul
in their nets, laden with large, beautiful tuna. (Brian has been
underwater with tuna as well—check out his awestruck account of
that experience.) The largest Atlantic bluefin can grow to be
almost 15 feet long and weigh over 1000 pounds, and they swim at
up to 40 mph. Just like Brian, their travels take them from one
side of the ocean to the other. Atlantic bluefin spawn in two
separate locations