How many Motrileños ask themselves, when they set off for work, whether they will be captured by pirates and held for ransom? None you might think, but you would be forgetting the Motril fishermen who find themselves having to fish so far afield that they have to enter the dangerous waters of Eritrea.

A total of four fishing boats from Motril have set off to troubled waters, their families, neighbours and fellow fishermen fired off festive rockets when they threw off their mooring ropes in a vain attempt to raise their spirits. Seven months they will be away, hoping to return for July and the local fiestas of La Virgen del Carmen.

The Miguel Rubiño, Blanco Jiménez, Marñia Lopez and Bacalao have a total of 16 crew between them, many of whom are fathers and sons, whilst the mothers and daughters, wives and girlfriends wait at home.

The price of diesel rises constantly, the price of fish at the markets goes down and the subsidies from the Government have completely dried up, so it’s off to the Red Sea…