Tainha Time in Florianopolis

Late May through to mid-July is Tainha Time in Florianopolis, as thousands of tainha come to breed in the waters, and hundreds of fishermen try to catch them. Surfing is prohibited on many Floripa beaches during this time.

In the late autumn and winter months of May, June and July, the coastal waters of Santa Catarina are inundated with huge shoals of tainha. Following tradition that has been maintained since the very first Azorean settlers arrived, the local fishermen take to the open seas in their wooden boats day after day to make hay as the sun shines.

While the boats may have motors, the nets don’t. With no winches, all the catches are landed by hand. The nets are large to allow the young tainha to escape, while the adults are taken in great numbers into the boat. The typical Floripa Fisherman is short and stocky, with a deep tan and arms like Popeye. While out at sea, it is impossible to appreciate the amount of work that goes into pulling a net with perhaps dozens and dozens of 3-5kg fish.

There are many places in Florianopolis that this work can be appreciated though, as boat after boat arrives on the beach or at the dock to unload huge catches. The communities of Barra da Lagoa, Pântano do Sul, Campeche, and Riberão da Ilha all have regular arrivals, as does the bridge between the two halves of Lagoa da Conceição. Beaches such as Prainha in Barra, Galheta and Matadero also have huge nets strung out from the beach. The whole male half of the community, kids and adults, joins in the pull. The sands are soon piled full of hundreds of tainha, glistening and flopping around in the winter sun.

The Epoca da Tinha is taken seriously in Florianopolis, so much so that some of the beaches such as Barra and Galheta are closed to surfers for most of May, June and July. Mole, Joaquina and Moçambique remain open though. The Festa da Tainha closes the season and the waves open again. In the meantime it is best not to enter the waves. This is the most lucrative period of the year for Floripa fishermen and they can get a little irritated to say the least if surfers upset them or upset the fish.

As an insight into the traditional lifestyles that still form a big part of Florianopolis life, a trip to see the daily tainha catch arrive is very worthwhile. A helping hand may also result in you being one of the many people walking the streets of Floripa carrying a large fish as thank you for your help.

Clean it, gut it, fill it with fresh coriander and garlic, wrap it in aluminium, then put in the oven or the churrasco for 30 minutes. Leave the foil off for another 10 minutes or so and you can eat your catch.