Fishing

Fishing has been a mainstay cultural activity in the islands of the Caribbean since the days of the first indigenous inhabitants. On Vieques, fishing became even more important because with the loss of the land to the Navy along with the loss of employment on the sugar centrales, little else was left for the subsistence of the people. Fishermen were not only providers of food, but of transportation, and they eventually became cultural leaders in the struggle to stop the Navy bombing on the land and adjacent seas of the island.

Nasas
Nasas are fish traps. In the old days, they were made out of woven vines and West Indian Birch braces. Chicken wire siding and steel reinforcement bar (rebar or varilla) braces have replaced the old materials.

Single-funneled traps, convex at one end and concave on the other, are traditional for the Puerto Rican and Virgin Islands. In the Lesser Antilles they are usually larger, rectangular-shaped and have two funnels.

The fish swims in the funnel, which leads to the interior of the trap. The funnel sides extend about half way down to the bottom of the trap. Most fish can’t see up; so they can’t get out.

The traps are baited, and set at the bottom of the sea in areas adjacent to coral reefs. A line tied to the nasa extends to the surface where it is supported by a buoy. The buoys were carved out of wood in the old days, but now styrofoam is used.

Bait fish are often caught by throwing a net in shallow waters.
The net is called an ataraya.

The fishermen leave the trap in the water and haul it every other day. If the line is cut, the trap will be lost.

If the fishermen are ecologically sensitive, a trap door will be cut into the side panel of the trap secured by a biodegradable tie. This way if the trap is lost, the trap door will prevent it from becoming a death trap, luring more and more fish to their death until the trap deteriorates, which with today’s modern materials will be a very long time.

Lobsters
In the old days lobsters had no value. If you caught one you would use it for bait to catch fish. When lobsters became commercially viable they were hunted using a torch and a forked stick on the shallow reef at night. You would pin the lobster down with the forked stick and catch it.

Lobsters also can be caught by diving down and getting them out of their holes with a snare, which is a wire noose on the end of a stick. You put the noose over the lobster and then snare it and pull it out of the hole.

Photo by Ramon Korff

Lobsters can also be caught in traps. Although a traditional nasa will also catch lobsters, the rectangular-shaped wooden lobster trap is better for catching lobsters, because the lobsters would rather crawl on wood than on wire. The funnel is on the top and wooden slats extend down about a third of the way into the trap. Lobsters are not as smart as fish and they will hang onto the outside of the trap and let you catch them.

Good bait for lobsters would be something really stinky like an old rotten cow hide, (available at the local butcher).

Line Fishing
It seems that on Vieques almost everyone likes to fish. The most popular method is with a good old fashioned rod and reel.