La Madrague

 How is tuna fished in the mediterranean? Is the La Madrague technique still used?

Here’s a clear, well‑grounded overview of how tuna is fished in the Mediterranean today — and where the madrague (also called almadraba or tonnara) still fits in.

🐟 How Tuna Is Fished in the Mediterranean Today

Mediterranean tuna — especially Atlantic bluefin tuna — is caught using a mix of traditional and modern methods. According to the sources retrieved:

🎣 Main Techniques Used Today

Purse‑seine fishing  

Large vessels encircle schools of tuna with a vertical wall of netting. This is now the dominant commercial method for bluefin in the Mediterranean. Fish are often transferred alive into towing cages for fattening in offshore farms.

Longline fishing  

Lines with baited hooks targeting adult tuna in deeper waters.

Rod‑and‑reel / trolling  

Used mostly by small‑scale fishers for albacore and smaller tuna species.

Traditional trap systems (the topic you asked about)

These include the madrague/almadraba/tonnara — a fixed labyrinth of nets anchored near the coast to intercept migrating tuna.

🕸️ Is the Madrague (La Madrague) Still Used?

Yes — but only in a few places, and mostly as a cultural, seasonal, and small‑scale fishery.

The madrague (French), almadraba (Spanish), or tonnara (Italian) is an ancient technique dating back over 2,000 years, using a maze of nets to guide tuna into a central “killing chamber.” It is still practiced in:

Southern Spain (Andalusia) — especially Cádiz, Conil, Barbate, Zahara de los Atunes

Sicily and Sardinia — though many traditional tonnare have closed

Parts of Morocco and Tunisia

The French madrague tradition has largely disappeared, but the technique survives in the broader Mediterranean.

The Musée National de la Marine confirms that the technique is “toujours vivante” (still alive) as a cultural and artisanal practice.

🧭 Why It Survives

It is highly selective — only large migrating tuna are caught.

It has low bycatch and minimal ecological impact compared to industrial purse‑seining.

It is deeply tied to local heritage, festivals, and identity.

Demand for premium bluefin keeps it economically viable in a few regions.

However, it is not a major contributor to total Mediterranean tuna landings today.

                                                                                      

If you want, I can also explain how a madrague is built, why it works biologically, or how it compares ecologically to modern tuna farming.

Has Brigitte Bardot's Foundation ever commented on this?

Here’s what I can tell you with confidence, Louise, based on the search results and what is publicly documented.

🐬 Has the Brigitte Bardot Foundation commented on madrague/almadraba tuna fishing?

From the information retrieved, none of the sources mention any statement by the Fondation Brigitte Bardot (FBB) specifically about the madrague/almadraba/tonnara tuna‑trap technique. The search results focus on:

Bardot’s home La Madrague in Saint‑Tropez

The Foundation’s general mission and history (animal welfare, anti‑whaling, anti‑fur, etc.)

Bardot’s broader activism and the Foundation’s campaigns

But no source retrieved shows the Foundation addressing tuna traps or Mediterranean tuna fishing.

🧭 What the Foundation does comment on

According to the search results, the FBB is active on issues such as:

Anti‑whaling and dolphin protection

Fur‑free campaigns

Factory farming and animal abuse

These align with their long‑standing priorities, but traditional tuna fishing methods like the madrague don’t appear in their documented campaigns.

🐟 Why this silence makes sense

The madrague/almadraba is:

A selective, low‑bycatch method

Seasonal and small‑scale

Deeply tied to local heritage

Not associated with the industrial overfishing that the Foundation typically targets

So it’s plausible that the Foundation simply hasn’t prioritized it.

If you want, I can dig deeper into:

Whether other animal‑rights groups (e.g., Sea Shepherd, WWF) have commented on the almadraba

The ecological impact of the technique compared to purse‑seining

How bluefin tuna conservation status has evolved in the Mediterranean

Just tell me where you want to take this next.

Is it ecological?

Here’s the clearest, evidence‑based answer I can give you, Louise, grounded directly in the search results you triggered.

🌿 Is the madrague/almadraba ecological?

Based on the retrieved sources, the answer is yes — it is widely considered one of the most ecological and sustainable ways to catch bluefin tuna in the Mediterranean.

Let’s break down why.

🐟 1. Selective and low‑impact

The almadraba/madrague targets only mature, migrating bluefin tuna, not juveniles.

This is explicitly highlighted in the Grokipedia entry, which notes that the technique:

captures only mature specimens

releases juveniles and smaller fish

contrasts with “more destructive modern purse‑seine methods”

This selectivity is a major ecological advantage.

🧱 2. Fixed nets = no seabed damage

Unlike trawling, the nets are anchored and stationary, so they do not scrape or disturb the seafloor.

This is consistent with the descriptions of the technique as a “labyrinthine system of anchored nets”.

🧭 3. Used for 2,000–3,000 years without collapsing tuna stocks

Multiple sources emphasize the extraordinary longevity of the technique:

Used for “about 2000 years” (Musée National de la Marine)

“Thirty centuries of sustainability” (Luxeat article) — arguing that the method has never contributed to tuna depletion

This historical continuity is often cited as proof of ecological balance.

🧪 4. Minimal bycatch

Because tuna enter the trap voluntarily during migration and the chambers are visible from above, fishers can:

identify species

release non‑target animals

avoid accidental kills

This is repeatedly contrasted with purse‑seining, which has higher bycatch and stress.

🧘 5. Small‑scale and seasonal

The technique is:

practiced only during the tuna migration window

limited to a few sites

labor‑intensive and artisanal

This inherently caps fishing pressure.

                                                                                    

🧭 So is it ecological?

Yes.  

Among all tuna‑fishing methods in the Mediterranean, the madrague/almadraba is consistently described as one of the most sustainable, selective, and ecologically gentle techniques.

It is not perfect — no fishing method is — but compared to industrial purse‑seining, it is dramatically less harmful.

If you want, I can also compare it to:

purse‑seine fishing

longlining

tuna ranching (fattening cages)

or even model its ecological footprint in a structured way

Just tell me where you want to go next.