It was a few years ago that Motril lost its longline boats because it was just not profitable, but longline boats from nearby ports still catch swordfish at this time of year.

If you have seen the Perfect Storm, starring George Clooney and Mark Wahlberg, the fishing boat (Andrea Gail) was a longline boat; i.e., a line of hooks running out with secondary lines attached with a baited hooks. This sort of tackle is used to catch tuna and sword fish.

Yesterday, a boat from Almería managed to bring onboard a 72-kilo specimen and deliver it to Motril Fish Market.

The catch is unusual (size) but this kind of fish passes along the coast of Granada from now up to mid December. There’s a fishing ground off Motril known as the Seco de Motril about 30 miles out and boats from other ports come to Motril to try their luck there.

Swordfish, which are highly migratory, predatory fish, are attracted to the Seco de Motril because of one of their favourite foods; the black squid.

Currently, two ships from Almería, one coming from the port of Roquetas de Mar and the other from Carboneras, use the port of Motril to unload their merchandise.

So, why did Motril do away with its longline fleet? Because such a fleet needs to bring in catch all year round and the Seco de Motril is only profitable during autumn, so they would have to go further afield to such places as Mallorca the rest of the year. There is also strong competition with the Moroccan fleet.