Favignana The butterfly of the sea - Egadi Island


	The “Mattanza”( the tuna slaughter) Don’t miss the “mattanza”!

It is the traditional tunny-fishing which has been carried out for centuries in the isle.

The “mattanza” occurs from the middle of May through the first ten days of June.

During that period shoals of tunas swim with the tide from the ocean to the warm Mediterranean Sea and there they lay and fertilize their eggs. Cow tunas swim deep into the see while five or more bull tunas swim above her ; they ejaculate their sperm just when the lactescent cloud full of eggs spread in the water.

Fishermen (the so-called “tonnaroti”) have discovered tunas’ secret for centuries and they drop bunches of nets (the so-called “tonnara”) into the sea at the middle of April.

They set real rooms to capture them. Tunas are driven then from one room to another until they finish their ride into the death room where they get trapped in a square box of black boats ( the so-called “muciare”).

They are suddenly harpooned while the fishermen cry songs and prayers out. You can be part of it: just go to the landing stage where the fishermen sail from very early in the morning.

The days when the “mattanza” takes place are uncertain: it depends on sea conditions and on currents but if you spend there just three days between the middle of May and the beginning of June, you are sure to bring an unforgettable experience back with you.

Tuna fishing:

Tunny-fishing

The “Mattanza”( the tuna slaughter)

Mattanza's photo