FISHING IN MEDIEVAL VALENCIA

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Introduction 1
During the Middle Ages food system was dominated by cereals and, to a lesser extent, by wine and meat.Fish was in the middle of the food pyramid, consumed during all the year but particularly in Advent and in Lent due to the regulations of the Church that banned adult people from eating meat during these periods.This prohibition made fish a strategic product, not as important as the wheat or the wine, but forced local authorities to guarantee the supply of it especially in those days of abstinence.The kingdom of Valencia, despite having 518 km of coastline, did not was an exception of this scenario and fishing did not become a mainstay of the local economy.
This article analyses fishing and fishermen of the kingdom of Valencia during the Middle Ages from diverse perspectives but all them based on documentary evidence.Only regarding consumption some existing archaeological evidence has been taken into consideration.As it will be explained, it focuses on sea fishing although some reflexions about lake and rivers fishing will be given.Section 2 analyses fishermen both from a social and an economic point of view.For achieving this, I combine notarial records that included inventories post-mortem, wills and transactions, registries of personal assets and registries of the Court of justice.Section 3 seeks to identify the techniques of fishing used in this area and to measure the costs of the means of production, particularly boats and nets, and how they were managed.In this part, production is also analysed using evidence from the collection of tithes.
Section 4 examines the trading, the supply and the consumption of fish in medieval Valencia.For enquiring into this, I draw on published research, in particular manorial accounts and local regulations from the city of Valencia and from different towns of the kingdom, and notarial records.I examine consumption using toll collections from different towns, household accounts and the few published works with archaeological evidence.Finally, although we have written sources from the right moment of the conquest in the 13 th century, most of the evidence used here comes from the 15 th century, particularly notarial records, although registries for tithe and local regulations belong mainly to the 14 th century.
Medieval fishing has been out of the trending discussions of the Valencian historiography, although it cannot be said that this topic is absolute original.The reason for this marginal importance has to do with the dispersion of evidence and its scarcity, as it will be shown.When medievalists have focused on fish, it has been mostly for studying aspects related to the commerce and the provision of the cities due to those are the topics that more commonly sources show. 2 Issues such as the standards of living of fishermen or the fishing techniques have remained in a subsidiary place.Furthermore, it has tended to dominate analyses from local and county observatories while studies considering all the Valencian kingdom are quite rare. 3s it has been said, the Valencian Country has 518 km of coastline although it is not absolutely homogeneous.Most of it is dominated by the Gulf of Valencia, a sandy plain with beaches that historically has got shoals of fish away from the coast, particularly large species like tuna.The gulf ends in the Cape de la Nau, in the Midlands.From there, sandy beaches alternate with plunging cliffs originated from Tertiary period.In these parts, shoals come to the coast making its capture easier.Except form these areas, the shoreline is defined by the presence of coastal marshes and lakes.During the Middle Ages, the extension of marshlands and wetlands and the number of lakes were major than in our days.The Albufera -the greatest lake-embraced nearly from the gates of the city of Valencia to the town of Cullera.And there were more lagoons such as the pools of Almenara, Elx and l'Albufereta in Alacant among others.Both in wetlands and in pools, particularly in the Albufera, fishing was an ordinary activity during the medieval period although the documentary evidence of it is quite scarce, except for the Albufera, from which we have some tithe data.Regarding inland fishing, given the Mediterranean pattern of the Valencian rivers, with low water level in summer and torrential risen in Autumn, fishing seems to not be a regular practice.All in all, fishing in medieval Valencia meant basically coastal fishing.
As many other aspects, we know very little about fishing in Valencia before the Christian conquest.The evidence comes from the Christian period.Fishermen and sailors mainly from Catalonia took part in the conquest and colonization of Valencia in the 30's of 13 th century.Although they placed in different towns of the coast, the clearest evidence comes from the city of Valencia.According to the Llibre del Repartiment, seamen received houses between the Gates of Xerea and of Bebalcarrac, close to the river of Guadalaviar. 4However, in an inaccurate moment of the 13 th century, fishermen and sailors concentrated in other part of the city, between the present street of les Barques -the Boats, the name is quite expressive-and the plaça de l'Ajuntament.They were closed to the first Christian shipyards -located in the present plaça d'Alfons el Magnànim-but also closed to the marshlands and channels of Russafa that connected easily with the lake of l'Albufera. 5So, they could combine fishing in the sea and in the lake.As in the capital, in the rest of the kingdom, they lived inside the walls of the towns, which were located at a certain distance from the coast.The expulsion of the Muslim population from the most part of the coastal area in 1248 made fishing an essentially Christian activity.Nevertheless, some Muslim families were forced to reside in the island of el Palmar, in the lake of l'Albufera. 6Also in the coast of Midlands, where Muslims were not expulsed, it can be detected the presence of Muslim fishermen although they were not skippers, but simply sailors.
In order to consolidate colonization and attract the presence of fishermen into this world but also given the scarce profits that fishing could generate in a coast like the Valencian one, most of the feudal lords, including the king, conceded the free exploitation of these waters to their vassals.The same can be said about marshlands and pools.Although vassals did not have to pay seignorial rents, they had to satisfy the ecclesiastical, like the tithe and the primicia, that in many cases belonged to the feudal lords.For instance, in the city of Valencia, fishermen could fish freely although they have to pay the tithe to the king, a fifth in the case of catches from the lake of l'Albufera and a tenth for the fish from the sea.Besides these rents, for fish had to be paid local taxes, particularly the cises (tolls), an indirect tax levied on products of consumption, although they were lower than other foods like meat or wheat.

Between the land and the sea: a socioeconomic analysis of fishermen
On 26 November 1495, Antoni Masén, agricola et pixcator, and his wife Joana inhabitant of the coastal town of la Vila Joïosa, in the coastal Midlands, admitted to owing the Muslim Sale Polopi, a rich man from the Muslim quarter of Cocentaina, 276 shillings (sous) 8 pences (diners).for which they had bought 20 bucks (male goats). 7This deal reflects with quite precision one of the central features of fishing in Valencia during the middle ages and the early Modern era.For the notary that registered the transaction, Guillem Peris, Masén developed both activities, fishing and farming, in his daily life and, because of this, he did not doubt to describe Masen both as a peasant and as a fisherman.
Like Masén, most of fishermen in medieval Valencia had one foot in land and the other in sea since the right moment of the creation and consolidation of the kingdom.For them, fishing and farming coexisted as complementary activities.The degree of complementarity between land and sea depended on each particular case.So, the life-cycle of the family and the level of fishing specialisation conditionate the size of the holding, but we should not think beforehand that fisher's holding were smaller than the strictly peasant's one. 8Besides farming, the complementarity may involve other economic activities, apart from the work done by women and children.In this case, Antoni Masén bought some heads of livestock to that seems to be for reselling them or inseminating a flock but, in any case, for a later transaction.In other cases, they were artisans and other professionals that fished as a sideline economic activity. 9However, in most occasions the alternative source of incomes was exclusively the possession of some plots of land.
The search of external incomes, particularly in farming, suggests the insufficiency of fishing for guarantying the viability of the household.Nonetheless, the diversification of sources of income cannot be attributed only to the meagre benefits of fishing activities.On the one hand, we cannot forget the prominence of land in Feudal society.From the king to the poorest man, all we bound to land as the main source of power, richness and food.Possessing some plots of land, fishermen sought to guarantee the access to the central characters of the Medieval food system: bread and wine. 10When we can identify the crops cultivated in fishermen's lands, they were always cereals and vineyard. 11On contrary, they did not farm crops related to the industrial or speculative agriculture such as sugarcane or flax.
On the other hand, fishing depended, much more than any other economic activity, on the weather and the conditions of the sea.Beyond the need of secure the supply of cereals and the conditions of the sea, we cannot forget that, more than any other food, fish had an inelastic demand.Its consumption increased significantly during the days of abstinence.Those days of required abstinence by the Church were Lent, Ember days, Christmas Eve, the Assumption of Mary Eve, and St. Phillip, St. 7. ACCV.Protocols, No. 23818.8.The fisher Pere Carreter, resident in Valencia, bought 19 fanecades (1,5 ha.) of cereal land from the peasant Martí Carreter for 500 shillings (sous).It is possible that they were relatives but no reference about it is mentioned.ACCV.Protocols, No. 21873, without folio (2 May 1467).9.The surgeon from Peníscola Guillem Caiforàs accepted owing 96 shillings (sous) remaining of a larger quantity de preu de cordes d'espart ("for the price of straw ropes") that he bought Guillem Olzina, ropemaker from Valencia per obs de pexcar ("for fishing").ARV.Batlia, No. 1448, f. 41r.10. Garcia Marsilla, Juan Vicente.La jerarquía de la mesa: los sistemas alimentarios en la Valencia bajomedieval.Valencia: Diputació de València, 1993: 76, 245.11.See, for instance, the example mentioned in note 8. James and St. John Eves, but also on Fridays in every week.Furthermore, preachers such as Vicent Ferrer and Francesc Eiximenis encourage people to carry out the abstinence during Advent and from the Ascension to Pentecost. 12It seems logical to think that these ups and downs of the demand had to have some effect in the fishing labour market.Therefore, during the days of rough sea or the reduction of the demand many fishermen work on farming.
Despite these factors that must be taken in consideration, it is undoubted that fishermen were one of the lesser social groups in medieval Valencia.Obviously, as any given collective, also among the fishermen we find a broad range of socioeconomic differences, from those who fished as labourers to those who owned the boat and the nets for fishing, although all of them appear referred as pescadors in the sources.In Castelló de la Plana, the Llibre de la peita -a register of the possession of buildings and lands of the inhabitants-of 1398 mentioned eight fishermen.Five of them had personal assets estimated under 600 shillings (sous) but, on the other extreme, Pere Borràs' possessions were valued at 7,750 shillings (sous).His personal assets included different houses, a piece of land (solar), and a holding of 4 ha. in different plots that included orchards, cereals land and vineyards. 13And this example is not unique.For instance, in 1381 the fisherman Berenguer Dalmau was one of the twenty-nine inhabitants in Gandia which personal assets were estimated in more than 4,000 shillings (sous). 14espite these rare exceptions, the possibilities of enrichment with fishing were quite limited.Registries of personal assets show them on the lowest rank among the community, like in Castelló de la Plana.Regarding to notarial records, fishermen used to appear contracting a debt or acting like sellers.And these debts have to do with the main necessities like foodstuff more than with investments. 15When they acted as buyers it was, principally, for acquiring equipment for fishing such as boats and nets or for buying plots of land, as it has been aforementioned.This limited economic capacity had its correlation in a low participation in the local administration.Fishermen were not engaged in any relevant political posts such as jurat (councilmen), batle (bailiffs) or justícia (mayor), having access only to the local council, like in Castelló de la Plana. 16There were, however, some scarce exceptions.Francesc Cabrera, inhabitant of the town of Cullera, admitted having fished in the river Xúquer in front of the ecclesiastical authorities that demanded him and the fishermen of Cullera for evading the payment of the tithe and the primicia.The lawsuit informs us that Cabrera served as one of the councilmen of Cullera during 1492.But what is more interesting is that Cabrera was not referred in the lawsuit as a fisherman but as a farmer and, indeed, he stated fishing only sporadically. 17esides risking their lives, fishermen had to deal with other dangers such as being attack and seized by Muslim pirates, Christian corsairs or maritime thieves, when not Valencian magnates like Joan Roís de Corella, son of the Count of Cocentaina.The young magnate with his galley hijacked two boats of fishers from Valencia that claimed to the Court of Batlia. 18Finally, one of the boats was taken to Alacant while the other was released paying 3,000 shillings (sous). 19Selling the goods seized or obtaining a ransom for the rigging and the fishermen were the central aim of these actions.For getting back their belongings, fishermen appealed to the different courts, although the tribunal of the Batlia conserves more evidence. 20Besides these problems, in land, fishers had to deal with the robberies in their barraques -fisher cottages for keeping the boats and rigging-, which were not strange. 21o, the limited profits, the insecure of the sea and having to risk their own lives make fishing fairly unattractive for medieval people.Despite the lack of absolute numbers, different sources suggest that there were not enough fishermen in the kingdom for satisfying the demand of fish.Obviously, this is a trend general that cannot be said for the whole territory and during all the medieval period.The city of Valencia, for instance, probably was an exception of this.On contrary, some coastal towns had difficulties for providing fresh fish for their inhabitants.Because of that, local authorities had to promote the arrival of foreign fishermen with policies such as the exemption of municipal taxes or conceding a house for him and his family.So, for instance, the council of Vila-real concede the fisher Pasqual Mas a subsidy with the condition that he became vehí de la dita vila e tenint aquella provehida del peix que pescara. 22hese requests by local councils and the pursuit of better work conditions, besides personal matters, promoted the movement of fishermen long the kingdom.It is true that mobility was a common feature of the society in all the Medieval West, but in the case of fishermen, unless in the kingdom of Valencia, they moved from one place to another.In the area of la Plana, in the coastal Northlands, at the end of 14 th century the 15% of fishermen were not natives of the towns where they have been documented. 23Such mobility was mainly of regional range but also of larger distances.In Castelló de la Plana through the 15 th century was possible to find fishermen from Narbona (France) and from Vizcaya (Castile). 24n the capital of the kingdom the origin of fishermen was more diverse, attracting people from the own region -from Vinaròs, Castello, Oliva, among other towns-, but also from abroad -Catalonia, Portugal, France and Castile. 25ere, official requests were unnecessary since the demand of the local market and the possibilities of fishing both in sea and in the lake of l'Albufera attracted fishermen.Thanks to the Llibres d'Aveinament -records of settling-, we know that, between 1371 and 1400, 82 seamen settled in the city of Valencia, representing a 6% of the total.For the next period registered, 1421-1449, 42 seamen arrived at Valencia becoming a 6'5% of all immigrants. 26Obviously, not all fishers that settled in the city were registered in those records but only those that aspired to obtain the benefits of becoming inhabitant of Valencia.For instance, neither Jaume Ferrer nor Gonçal de Trujillo appeared in the Llibres d'Aveinament but both fishermen, from Oliva and Eivissa respectively, settled in Valencia and developed their profession. 27iven that it was rough making a living as fisherman, wives had a crucial role in the domestic economy.Women used to collaborate with their husbands repairing the nets but, overall, selling the fish.Local ordinances did not mention them specifically, but they were described by literature.The physician Jaume Roig in his misogynist work l'Espill depicted those women as crooks and rip-off dealer since they used to sell bait as fresh fish and captures from the Albufera and the Xúquer as from the sea. 28Beyond their collaboration on activities related to fishing, they contributed to the domestic economy with external jobs.Magdalena, wife of the fisher Domingo Andrés of Valencia, received 50 shillings (sous).from a widow name Masiana for taking care of her for two years, although we do not know exactly which her duties were. 29Also in Valencia, Francesca received 360 shillings (sous).from the knight Francesc Corts' widow, Joana, for breastfeeding her son, Andreu Miquel for one year. 30fore getting married, some of these women had started working as an apprentice maid when they were younger to gather her dowry, or unless some part of it, like Caterina.She was in domestic service on the Francesc Vilar's house in Valencia for which she received 280 sous pro suplemento sue dotis. 31This type of contracts suggests that fishermen found their wives among families with limited resources that had to send their daughters to work in others' house to assemble their dowry. 32Consequently, the volume of the dowries should be modest.Indeed, although there were not absolute numbers, the contracts of marriage involved by fishermen are rare in notarial records.
Due to that, it cannot should be ruled out that most of these marriages were agreed orally between the families of the candidates and, hence, the notarial contract was not required.Following with this argument, it seems logical that the new family was regulated by a germania regime, although it was quite marginal in most part of the Valencian kingdom at the end of the middle ages, even among lower sections of the population. 33Indeed, I have evidence that the regime of dowry also existed among fishers.Miquel Lloret, a fisherman from Valencia, married her daughter Úrsula with a young fisher also from the city, Nicolau Aliaga, better known as Suret, providing her with a dowry of 200 shillings (sous). 34However, the dowry could reach the 600 shillings (sous) with which the fisherman from Valencia Vicent Mateu gave to his daughter. 35They are modest sum, comparable with lower ranks of peasantry. 36More evidence would let us to determine how much these cases represent the use of the dowry regime among fisher families in front of germania system, and the value of the dowries of their daughters. 3730.debitas de uno anno rationes lactationis per me facte dicto Andree Michaelis.ARV.Protocols, No. 1902, without folio (9 September 1433).31.ACCV.Protocols, No. 27362, without folio (31 May 1446).32.After getting married, Joana appointed her husband, the fisher from Vila Joiosa, Genis Mingot, as her legal representative for collecting the payment of her works.ACCV.Protocols, No. 23817, without folio (6 October 1494).

Viciano Navarro, Pau. Els peus que calciguen la terra. Els llauradors del País Valencià a la fi de l'edat mitjana.
Valencia: Publicacions de la Universitat de València, 2012.In the kingdom of Valencia coexisted two regimes to regulate the economic relation between the married couple.One was the germania in which the couple put together their assets.When some of them died all the assets had to be split in two equal parts and then give one to the living member of the couple.The other system was the dowry or separation of property regime.This system gave more economic protection to the wife since the husband could not manage the dowry in any circumstance.Indeed, if the wife died, her dowry could return to her family or, in case of having children, to them.34.ACCV.Protocols, No. 11919, without folio (6 July 1433).35.He gave 300 shillings (sous) in cash and 300 in clothes.ACCV.Protocols, No. 27362, without folio (14 August 1446).36.Viciano Navarro, Pau.Els peus… 37. Another example is the transaction of a cottage between Eulalia la Serrana, Francesc de Magalló's widow, and Isabel, Joan Lleopart's wife.Given that the cottage had previously belonged to Isabel -ementi de propris bonis vestris, the document says-, it could be concluded that the cottage was part of the assets Regarding the social background of the candidate, it seems that fishermen used to marry their daughters with members of the group or with peasants.I have not found evidence of marriages between a craftsman and fisher's daughter.So, for instance, the fisher form Gandia Antoni Despent married his three daughters -Guillamona, Maria and Antònia-with three fishermen of the town, Joan Garcia -that we know he had his own bolig-, Antoni Bolea and Antoni Pelegrí, although the marital regime is not mentioned. 38Also the aforementioned Vicent Mateu married his daughter with another fisherman, Francesc Vallés.
If youth was rough, dealing with old age was not easier, particularly for fishermen's widows.For that women that were widowed too old for contracting a new marriage, to be in a domestic service provided them with a roof and a company until their last days.On 18 June 1416 the peasant Pere Julià from Benetússer, a village close to Valencia and near to l'Albufera, admitted owing to the incredible sum of 3,360 shillings (sous) to Francesca, widow of the fisherman Martí Navarro, also from Benetússer, 39 1,920 shillings (sous) were owed rationes servitutis duodecim annorum per vos michi facte ad forum sive rationem octo libris pro quolibet anno.The rest, this is 1,440 shillings (sous), respond to the leasing of Francesca's properties, which could include lands basically, since it seems habitual that fishermen's widows sold the boats and tackles of their husbands if they had.But just after this indebtment, Francesca signed a contract of afermament by which she became his housemaid for the next ten years perceiving 160 shillings (sous) per year. 40It is not strange that these relations could generated emotional ties between the parts.Half year later, Pere Julià named Francesca one of the executors of his will apart from Bernat Mateu, a fisherman as Francesca's husband. 41recisely testaments, as inventories post-mortem and public auctions, are quite rare among fishermen, in spite of the ecclesiastical obligation for dictation the last wills.Those we find respond to not only this demand of the Church but also the need of organising and distributing their goods.So, the wills of fishermen found tend to be medium or upper ranks of the group like Joan Sisteró, fisher from Valencia, that willed on 3 January 1490. 42The place for being buried, a tomb in the monastery of Sant Francesc in Valencia where lied the remains of his grandmother and three brothers, denotes the well-off position.He spent for carrying out his wills 200 shillings (sous), what is a considerable sum amount medium and well-to-do sectors of Valencian peasantry. 43n the previous lines I have given different evidence of the rough living conditions that featured fishermen.The foundation of the hospital of en Bou in Valencia shows that this poverty did not go unnoticed for the contemporaries.In 1396 the merchant Pere Bou found a hospital close to the Gate of Russafa and near to the neighbourhood of the fishermen.The singularity of the hospital of en Bou among the others existing in the city is this one was the unique centre destined to a specific professional group. 44It was founded exclusively for fishermen, even their wives and children were excluded.Despite the lack of sources of the own institution, it seems that it was not a big centre, but its services were crucial for the fishermen.Because of that, the local authorities decided not to include it in the concentration of the different hospitals existing in the city that resulted in the creation of the General Hospital in 1512.Indeed, the hospital of en Bou existed until the 19 th century although in the last centuries it was opened to all kind of people.
Despite the Pere Bou's foundation, it must be said that fishermen of the city of Valencia had their own collective guild and their brotherhood known as the Comú de pescadors. 45It was one of the oldest guilds of the city given that it seems to be created as early as in 1238. 46Unless during the decades after conquest, fishermen from Valencia worked both in the sea waters and in the Albufera lake.In summertime they fished in the sea due to the better maritime conditions and during the winter in the lake.However, in the second half of the 14 th century the maritime fishers split up from the Comú and created their own guild.Due to the protests of the Comú, the Crown forced them to return to the previous situation.Ulterior attempts of splitting occurred, but the Crown always resolved against the petitions of the maritime fishers.These conflicts suggest an increasing level of specialization and differentiation between the two collectives.
The guild was managed by four good men chosen by the royal bailiff and the lessee of Quint reial -the tithe, the fifth part of the captures. 47These men regulate the fishing areas of the lake and resolved the disputes related to the work among fishers both in the lake and in the sea.At the end of the 14 th century fishermen from larger villages surrounding the lake were forced to be included in the Comú.This also generated disputes, so the managers had to ask the royal authorities to force those village fishers to pay the fees.The guild created the brotherhood in 1308 Regarding Muslim fishers, evidence is scarce.Before 1248, when the Muslim population was expulsed from most part of the coastal areas of Valencia, it could be possible to identify Muslim fishers, proof of the previous stage before the Christian conquest.However, since the expulsion and given the concerns of Christian authorities on an evasion of Muslim vassals, fishing was a rare activity among Muslim population.Despite that, particularly in the coastal Midlands but not only, some Muslim fishers have been registered.Still in 1288 in Valencia, a fisherman called Alfaquim had his workshop adjacent to the church of St. Catherine, although he should be one of the last Muslim fishers living in the city. 48Habitually, the owner of the boat used to be Christian while the labourers could be Muslim fishers.The evidence comes from contacts for working as labourers in bolig nets, as we will see.However, there were exceptions.On 12 February 1460, the fisher Miquel Irles from Valencia, demanded 150 shillings (sous) to Suleimen Funi remaining of greater quantity for buying a boat and a bolig. 49

Putting out to sea: techniques of fishing and captures
In medieval Mediterranean predominated seaside over deep-sea fishing and the kingdom of Valencia was not an exception.Fishing was developed near to the coast, so vessels as big as whaleboats were not required.On contrary, we find a range of different type of boats, that were used according to the type of fishing developed, although most of them combined sails and oar as a means of propulsion.Then number of banks and oars determined the size of the boat so there was not a unique type.However, except from some cases, written sources tend to be vague on this matter and they talk about fishing boat in general.
In relation to the means of production for fishing, there were three basics elements, the boat, the nets and hooks, and the cottages for putting the tackle away.How much did they cost?There is no a definitive answer for it since the price varied according to the size and the state of preservation, particularly in the case of boats.On contrary, nets needed to be replaced more frequently so the market of second hand was less common. 50So, a boat could cost from 140-200 shillings (sous), the smaller ones, to 1,600 shillings (sous) the larger, although in this case it incorporated all the rigging. 51A medium size boat could be valued between 500 and 800 shillings (sous), depending on what was included in the transaction.Benet Comte, a fisher from Valencia, sold Guillem Guardiola and Ramon Serra, fishers from Gandia, the barcham meam de palangre de quatre parells de rems 52 for 550 shillings (sous) while the Miquel Gomis's widow sold the fisher Esteve Cassio from Valencia quandam barcham de quatre parrels cum omnibus suis exarciis et cum sex pesis de bonitoleres for 760 shillings (sous). 53In both cases it was a second-hand boat but if it was new, obviously the price was higher.Pere Cortés, fisher from Vila Joiosa paid only for the boat 880 shillings (sous). 54o, the minimum investment for fishing, around 150 shillings (sous) for a boat, was comparable to the purchase of a medium-high quality draught horse or to 75 working days as labourer, considering 2 shillings (sous)/day during the 15 th century. 55n other words, while Valencian peasants could have access to a ploughing horse without excessive economic difficulties, fishermen had to work two months and a half for acquiring a small boat.It could be possible, therefore, that the possession of a boat became an element of stratification among fishermen, although more research needs to be done on this issue.Furthermore, the type of the draught animal did not sort peasants as clearly as the kind of vessel and nets did among fishermen.Those who can achieve tuna and bonito nets obtained more profits than those who fished smaller species.
Fishermen owning more than one boat are quite strange. 56On contrary, the cases of fishers having to lease the boat for fishing are more common.Particularly rural elites and well-to-do peasants invested acquiring boats and then leasing them to local fishers, as Lluís Blasco from Borriana.Having a holding of more than 10 ha, a wine press, a distaff for spinning wool, draught animals and sheep, and servants it is quite obvious that he was not a fisherman but a rural entrepreneur.Among these and other goods, Blasco had: una barqua y hun exabech ab ses veles e rems, tres àncores e sos caps, deu peces de bonitoleres velles y molt sòtils ab sis cabaços de […] bordes y cinch menuts, una caldera de dos cànters y una paella.Ítem, una barca al guerau de Burriana y altra al tragol de Almaçora e deu o dotze senyals de carabaces. 57so fishers leased their boats to other colleagues.Miquel Irles from Valencia claimed payment of 21 sous restants de major quantitat per loguer de una barqua to Jaume Amat from Alacant.Besides he requested 9 sous per preu de portar la dita barqua del loch de Benidorm a la platja del guerau de la ciutat de València. 58esides the boat, fishermen had to buy nets and hooks for fishing and, every so often, changed them.The type of seine used to refer the technique of fishing, having them all in common that they were collective systems. 59These nets were known as bolig -or bolitx-, xàvega (both considered trawling nets), palangre (paternoster line) and tonaira (tuna net or almadraba) and bonitolera (bonito -Sarda sarda-net). 60oth the bolig and the xàvega, a bigger bolig, were cast in sea and then stretched from the shore or closing the net with two boats.They fished different species indistinctly.On contrary, palangre, tonaira and bonitolera were for fishing larger fish, particularly tuna and bonito, although also dolphin, eels, swordfishes and similar big species could fall into 61 .Furthermore, while bolig and xàvega were mobile nets, the palangre, tonaira and bonitolera were drift, casted in sea and fixed there for the night. 62ll these seines required the work of different fishermen, creating companies for the exploitation.The owner of the boat and nets contracted different men -both Christian and Muslim fishers in the area of the coastal Midlands-that worked with him during all the Winter and Spring, until the harvest time.For those labourers, therefore, fishing was also a temporal job.Indeed, these work relations used to be unequal since frequently -and because of it we have the evidence of these companies-the owner advanced the wages.So, for instance, Abdal•la Albasar, a Muslim from Albaida, an inner town of the Midlands, started to work in the bolig of Bartomeu Vallobar, fisherman from Gandia, on 18 October 1388.The Muslim admitted owing him 25 shillings (sous) and compromised to fish with him from October to the festival of Resurrection, when he would return the debt. 63una seines or almadraba probably used the same system of companies.However, fishing with this seine generated some disputes at the beginning of 15 th century, unless in the County of Denia.In January 15 th of 1403 the count of Dénia, Alfons d'Aragó the Elder, wrote the council of the town saying that tuna seines had arrived from Catalonia.He depicted how these nets were not selective in the species arguing «they burn the seas».So, attending the councilmen's petitions, he forbade this kind of seine in his domains to both local and foreign fishermen. 64However, three months later, the count went back on his words because of the petition of the councilmen of Valencia.It seems that there was a scarcity of fresh fish in the capital and the count authorised fishing ab tonayres e altres qualsevol arts en les mars dels dits nostres vila e lochs per tota la present Quaresma tan solament. 65Finished this period of higher demand the tune seine was forbidden again although it seems that his regulation was not respected so he had to insist on with more ordinances. 66hile councilmen of Dénia agreed with his decision, their colleagues from Xàbia disagree.In March of 1405 they asked the count poder pescar alcún temps ab les dites tonayres en les mars del dit loch de Exàbea, to what the lord accepted les tonayres en les dites mars de Xàbea per tres meses solament, çò és, març present, abril e maig primervinents, e no pus. 67All these incidents show the mobility of fishermen and their seines through 63.AHN.Nobleza.Osuna, leg.1323-1324, without folio (18 October 1388).

les tonayres són gitades de Catalunya per ço com cremen les mars, que peix que no•y mor de exàvegues, boligs, batudes e palangres, que és lo bo de la cosa pública, e aquelles tonayres són estades portades en aquestes mars, on fan semblant dampnatge (…) revocan lo dit senyor qualsevol licències per ell ça entràs atorgades a qualsevol persones, axí
stranyes com provades, sobre lo pesca ab les dites tonayres, si algunes apparrán ("the tuna nets are brought from Catalonia given that they burnt the seas because the fish that does not die due to the bolig and palangre nets, what is good for the res publica, and those tuna nets have been brought in these seas, where they cause the same damage (…) revoking, the said lord, any given licences by him previously given to any foreigner or local people to fish with tuna nets, if they will appear").Colección de documentos…: 72.Also ARV.Mestre Racional, No. 9568, f. 42v.65. "any given person with tune nets or any given seines in our seas only during Lent".Colección de documentos…: 74.

(…) alguns, temeràriament venints contra los dits nostres manaments e ordenacions han pescat e pesquen en les dites mars [de Dénia, Xàbia, Calp Altea i Benidorm] e altres dels lochs marítims nostres ab les dites tonayres e exàrcies de aquelles, així que ordenà que d'ací avant en les mars de les nostres viles e lochs de Gandia, Dénia, Exàbea, Calp, de Altea e de Benidorm e de altres qualsevol lochs marítims nostres, no•s pesque o sia osat pescar per alguns privats o estranys, qualsevulla sien o seran, ab les dites tonayres
("some people, rashly coming against our dispositions and ordinances have fished and fish in the said seas [de Dénia, Xàbia, Calp Altea and Benidorm] and other maritime places of us with the aforementioned tuna nets, so I order that from now, in the said seas of our towns and villages of Gandia, Dénia, Xàbia, Calp, of Altea and of Benidorm and of any given of ours maritime villages, no one, both local and foreigner, is allowed to fish with the mentioned tuna nets").Colección de documentos…: 77.67."[people from Xàbia asked] for permission to fish some time with the tuna nets in the seas of the village of Xàbia […] [the count allowed] the tuna seines in the mentioned seas of Xàbia for three months the coast of Catalonia and Valencia following the routes of the shoals.The interest of local authorities on this seine fluctuated depending how it could deprive of fish supplies their towns.On contrary, the councilmen of the capital of the kingdom was highly interested since they provided with fish in large quantities and with diverse species, bigger for the well-to-do ranks of the local population and smaller for the lower.
But how much did a seine cost?It is difficult to offer a definitive sum since it depended on the size of the net and the state of preservation, although also the type of it should influence in the final price.A second-hand bolig net, the most common seine registered, cost between 120 and 185 shillings (sous). 68Seine for fishing tuna or bonito should be more expensive, but it is difficult to give a number.The aforementioned Lluís Blasco from Borriana sold to Bartomeu Silvestre, a fisherman from Massanassa, next to the Albufera lake, two new tonaira nets, two new bonito nets, three pairs of oars and other fishing goods for 600 shillings (sous). 69nd besides the nets, hooks need to be also replaced, although they were the most economic part of the rigging, near to 1 pence/hook. 70eyond the price, it is quite clear that the capital of the kingdom played an essential role as market place for supplying all these means of production, particularly nets.Fishermen from all the coastal villages went to Valencia for acquiring nets.From the registries of the court of Batlia it seems that there were some ropemakers highly specialized in making nets like Arnau Olzina, although that does not mean obviously that seine could only be found in the capital of the kingdom. 71So, for instance, only in 1431, 273 shillings (sous), 6 pences (diners) were owed to this ropemaker by different fishermen from Dénia, la Vila Joiosa and Calp. 72But Olzina worked with fishers from all the kingdom.In 1435 Joan Colom from Cullera owed him 218 shillings (sous) but in 1437 Miquel d'Eslada from Peníscola owed him 500 shillings (sous) remaining of a larger amount. 73n the city of Valencia, the maritime activities were enormously difficult given the absence of a decent port, beyond a wood jetty. 74Indeed, the port lacked a lighthouse during all the Middle Ages. 75Given these deficiencies, fishermen had to remove their boats each day from the sea and place them on the shore.The wellto-do fishers kept them in barraques -the fishing cottages explained previously.These cottages were laid out on the shore, one next to the other, as it is depicted in the aforementioned transaction between Eulalia la Serrana, Francesc de Magalló's widow, and Isabel, Joan Lleopart's wife. 76As it is referred in the document, fishermen could spend some time living there or, unless sleep before putting out to sea.So The cost of the cottage was 140 shillings (sous) of which in the right moment of the transaction Isabel paid 63 solidos solutos in tribus ducatis auri, coins suggests that Isabel and Joan Lleopart did not belong to the lower ranks of the peasantry.This fisher cottage existed in all the Valencian coast.So, for instance, Bernat Burc claimed Antoni Tarrasa 32 shillings (sous), 6 pences (diners) that remained to be paid of higher amount for a fisher cottage situated in la Punta de la Albufera. 78t seems that fishing in the Albufera was quite similar to open seas, particularly in what refers to the main technique used, the bolig.Although the Albufera was integrated by James I in the royal heritage, it was pawned by his successors and released once and again until 1431, since when there were no more alienations.It is important to note that fishing in the lake had to be practised com en temps de sarraïns, 79 although we have no more references about what they implied.Concerning inland fishing, except for the major rivers such as the Guadalaviar and the Xúquer, the irregular water level most of them made fishing a sporadic activity, limited to those points were the flow stagnated due to the orography or those moments of the year that rained most.Undeniable there were who fished occasionally although their activity, in general terms, has not generated evidence, and, in any case, it had to do with self-supply or with a very limited economic impact on local economy.Professional fishermen, on the contrary, were quite rare.In his 30 years of work in Cocentaina, where the river of Alcoi and other streams go through the town or the surrounding area, the notary Guillem Peris only registered one fisherman -Joan López-among its inhabitants.All the times López appeared in Peris' records, it was as a witness of other transactions.Beyond that, he was never involved in any act registered by Peris or any other notary of the town.As in the coastal area also in inlands fishing was mostly temporal work.In Alcoi, on 11 th October 1454, the court of justice condemned the peasant Guillem Vilaplana to pay 10 shillings (sous) to Joan Miralles per rahó de una barqua que de ell comprà. 80Although the boat could be used for crossing the river, this did not exclude being used for fishing.
More frequent seems to be fishing in the mouths, where fishermen from the coastal town came.It is the case of towns such as Gandia and Cullera, where the river of Alcoi and the Xúquer flew into the Mediterranean Sea.In Gandia, the local council banned fishing in the river with any kind of net or trap arranged in the river, what means that this was a habitual practice. 81In Cullera, river fish had a major economic role due to the higher flow of the Xúquer.So, fishermen worked both in open waters and, in the days of rough sea, in the river.They took advantage of those species that migrated from upstream to the sea such as sturgeons, lampreys and, particularly, shads. 82In April of 1492 the ecclesiastical officers collecting the primicia wanted to clarify how much of this fish was caught in the sea and in the river.The questioning of Francesc Cabrera enlightens us about the fishing techniques.They fished with a type of net named tir, probably similar to a dragnet, also used in sea fishing.Cabrera explained that algunes vegades l'aygua del dit riu lança los tirs en la mar […] en los quals prenen algunes çabogues però que [no] sàpia quantes n'i prenen ni quantes no […], ni si's prenen dites çabogues en lo riu o en la mar. 83ince they depended on the place of fishing not the value of the catches, the collection of the tithe and primicia generated some problems with fishermen and their representants.So, as it has been mentioned, by April of 1492 the bishop's officers the inhabitants of Cullera since they combined the catches from the river and from the sea.Francesc Cabrera, one of the councilmen and the representant of the community in the litigation, admitted that he did not know si's prenen dites çabogues en lo riu o en la mar. 84Finally, the bishop concluded that all the fish caught in Cullera had to pay the tithe of all the fish as it was caught in the sea.
Regarding fisheries and hatcheries, they should have existed more than sources let us know.The existence of a wide net of channels in each one of the different irrigation systems of the kingdom made building structures for catching the fish easy.It seems that most of these were assembled in the right moment of the fishing and due to that there is not written evidence of them. 85However, in the major channels like those of the horta of Valencia, more permanent structures existed requiring frequently the authorization of the local council and the payment of a tax for its exploitation.Notwithstanding all these, making a profit of these structures seemed to be guaranteed, since they used to be near the towns, where all kind of food products were highly demanded.Because of that, it is not odd that sometimes the exploitation of these fisheries generated some legal disputes.
That happened with the fishery known Comuns de les Marjals. 86Galceran Lluna, a farmer inhabitant of the city of Valencia, had obtained from the Council -and confirmed by the king himself-the establishment of the aforementioned fishery in 1499.One year later, Galceran d'Eixarc -racional, this is, the king's delegate, in the Council of Valencia-claimed to have the rights over the fishery given the establishment conceded by the batle general -the king's administrator in the kingdom.The dispute was resolved by a concord the content of which has not survived, although, despite that, the identity of both actors and the quarrel itself enlightens us about the profits of this type of buildings.Obviously, both Lluna and Eixarc were, at different levels, businessmen, so they had to manage the fishery through labourers or subestablishing truly fishermen in it.
Regarding hatcheries, evidence is quite rare and linked to lords' demesnes.The duke of Gandia, Alfons d'Aragó, named the Elder, had a pond in his country state of el Real, although it is not clear that it was used as a hatchery. 87In the next evidence there is no doubt in this respect.On the 14 th of April of 1495 the Count of Cocentaina, Joan Roís de Corella, donated his brother Roderic Roís de Corella an 84."if shads are caught in the river or in the sea".ACV.No. 3632, without folio (10 April 1492).85.Indeed, some of them consisted on, simply, a net for not letting pass the fish like the mentioned the privilege granted to the owners of a fisher: nobody dares to posar exàrcia alguna de peixcar per spay de xixanta passes entorn axí de perturbar lo exercici de la dita peixquera sots pena de xixanta sous ("introduce any given net for fishing in the sixty passes around nor disturbing the work of the fishery under a fine of sixty shillings").ACCV.Protocols, No. 23023, without folio (7 August 1500).orchard called of the Fish since a hatchery existed just in the middle of the plot. 88In both cases, the hatcheries were used to cover the lords' demand of river fish, and therefore as a part of the demesne.Besides this practical use, the ponds were an element of decoration of these idyllic orchards.
One indicator of fish captures could be the tithed collected.The scarcity and chronological dispersion of the evidence of the tithe collected in Valencia make analysing the references difficult. 89Furthermore, in the case of fish, we only have the references of the auctioned of the tithe belonging to all the dioceses of Valencia and fifth of the Albufera while for other foods we have the local or regional auctions.As it has been said, fishing used to be a tax-free activity in all the kingdom of Valencia, since James I excluded of the payment of any rent.Fishermen had only to deal with the ecclesiastical tithe for fishing in the Valencian coast and in the lake called l'Albufera.It is supposed that this rent belonged to the Church, but it had been granted to the Crown in the 11 th century by the Papacy to promote the conquest.Obviously two hundred years later, clerical authorities did not accept  this agreement without protesting.So, in 1241 James I and the bishop agreed to divide it into three thirds, two of them for the bishop and one (called el terç-delme) for the Crown.For the fishing in the Albufera lake, fishermen had only to pay to the Crown the fifth of their catches for the tithe.The bishop and James I accorded that the Crown would pay 1.000 sous yearly in concept of the tithe belonging to the Church of the fish caught in the Albufera.

Terç-delme del peix
of such a big city, these importations became essential to ensure the supply of fish.So, it was not competence for local production.The analysis of the local ordinances shows that, in spite of these importations, the capital attracted fish captures from the different parts of the kingdom.The evidence of this local and regional trade is more subtle.So, since ice was crucial for keeping fish fresh, a network of exchange existed between coastal places and inner towns that provide fishermen with it.The best of example of this is known as the Camí del peix (Path of fish), that connected the towns of la Vila Joiosa, in the coastal midlands, and Alcoi, in the inner area.So, fishermen walked up with mules and donkeys loaded with fish that they sold in Alcoi but also in the near towns like Cocentaina.Besides the path had different branch lines that passed by Relleu and Penàguila before arriving at Alcoi.Having sold all the fish, fishermen used to go back loaded with ice from the mountains of Mariola.But there is no evidence of this trade in notarial records and in the registries of the court of justice of neither Alcoi nor Cocentaina, the larger towns.This trade went on through the centuries until the last sixty years. 97o, given that most of the Valencian rivers were not navigable, inner trade was done with mules.In the coast, transport with boats should be the preferred option although that did not exclude carrying the fish with mules.Thanks to an indirect evidence we know about this trade.Muslim fishermen, or maybe fishmongers, from Calp transported fresh sardines and tuna to the capital of the kingdom with mules. 98The sale of fish was one of the most regulated trades in medieval Valencia, as in the rest of Europe.From the capital of the kingdom to any given small town, councilmen efforted to ensure the supply of this foodstuff.The local ordinances were referred about the place for selling the product in order to obtain the appropriate tolls and control the quality of the fish but overall, confirming the arrival of the product.In Valencia, given the size of the city, the places permitted by the Council were different and, depending on each moment, the local authorities licenced even selling the product on the shore. 99Given the attraction of the capital, coastal towns and small towns had problems to ensure the supply.It seems that fishermen sold their captures to fishmongers that transferred the product to Valencia.In moments of scarcity even fishers themselves were interested in going to the capital to sell the captures.Councilmen dictated ordinances trying to stop this practice, such as in Castelló de la Plana or in Gandia. 100In the town of Dénia the problems forced the local authorities asked the intervention of the count since que•ls pescadors de la 100.tot pescador o altre qualsevol qui pescara pex a la dita vila aquell haie aportar tot a la plaça e descarregar ans que en casa lo mete ("any fisherman or any given person that fished fish in the aforementioned town has to bring it to the square and unload it before storing at home").Sánchez Adell, Josep."La pesca…": 268.Aparisi Romero, Frederic."La pesca marítima…": 375.dita vila haven en nechligència providing the market, causant gran dan e improvessió de la vila 101 / que cap pescador no gos o presumesqua vendre lo peix a altre pescador tro atant lo mostaçaf ne haja pres a ops de provesió de la vila que serà mester i que el peix que serà mort en les dites mars [de Dénia] per los pescadors sien portats a la plaça de Dénia a vendre e en altre loch no pusquen ésser venuts. 102he consumption of fish can be identified through different indicators such as the tithe and tolls collected, the transactions of fish and the archaeological works.Determining the relation between the evolution of the tithe (table 3) and the real consumption of fish seems complicated.It could be tempting to bind the increases and decreases in the tithe value with growths and falls in the Valencian population.So, a sluggish rate of demographic growth defined the period between 1375 and 1420 and then, population stagnated or even diminished.However, this decrease had to do with inner migrations and demographic redistribution more than with reduction of population in absolute terms.Indeed, in the long run -from the 14 th to the 16 th centuries-, the population in medieval Valencia augmented. 103Therefore, given that the decrease of the fish tithe value is not corresponded with a fall of population, it is possible that people reduced the consumption of fish in the long 15 th century.In any case, it is undoubted that the lessening of the fish tithe value implied a reduction of the fish caught and, therefore, the fishing activity.
Regarding cises (indirect taxes or tolls), the consumption of fish was also burdened which shows it as an essential food with cereals, wine and meat.In the city of Valencia there were six tolls burdened the food consumption among which we find two related to fish, the importation and exportation, which means that not all the fish arrived at Valencia was for consuming there, of dried salted fish. 104Fresh fish, therefore, was exempted in the capital of the kingdom.On contrary, in towns, such as Gandia and Castelló de la Plana, both fresh and dried fish were burdened.In both aforementioned towns, the toll of fish -including all types of it-was separated from the rest of them taxes. 105It is difficult to explain the reasons for this differentiation could have to do, possibly, with the particular volatility of the fish toll that depended on season character of both the captures and consumption.The example of Castelló de la Plana shows this.Considering the data from the economic year 1423-1424 as index 100, the fish toll collected showed ups and downs on the next years.Indeed, just on the following year, 1424-1425, it decreased 20,5%.On contrary, the major tolls displayed a modest tendency of increase, as table 4 shows.This would imply a dwindling of the fish consumption, as I suggest previously for the general tendency of the fish tithe.The decrease of the fish consumption seems to be more perceptible in the town of Gandia, which has the Council Accounts records for two economic years, 1405-1406 and 1435-1436 (table 5).First of all, we can appreciate the decrease of the fish toll collected, passing from 1,520 shillings (sous) by 1405-1406 to 1,100 in 1435-1436, which meant a marked reduction of near 30%, what is quite significative.In addition to this, we can estimate even hypothetically the household expenses on consumption, accepting that in 1405 the population was around 500 inhabitants and 450 in 1435, and also that all the products burdened were consumed by inhabitants of Gandia exclusively. 107So, in 1405-1406 on average each house of Gandia spent 50 shillings (sous) on major tolls whereas it expended 3 shillings (sous) on fish.Thirty years later, the expenditure on fish had been reduced 20% since on average each house paid 2,4 shillings (sous) for the fish toll while the payment for the major toll reached 52 shillings (sous).In other words, it seems that people reduced the consumption of fish and increased the expenditure in other key products like meat, wine and, most probably, cereals.Before concluding this tax considerations, I want to refer about the lessors of all these rents and taxes.Fish tolls, as any council taxes, were, generally speaking, leased by members of the local elite of each town while fish tithe were in hands of merchants of the city of Valencia, given the amount of money it implied for leasing all the diocese of Valencia.Even when the tithe was released in smaller areas than the diocese the lessor was a prominent member of the local community.Joan Gomis, clergyman of the Cathedral of Valencia, ut emptor tunc decime piscium maris diocesus Valentie, resold quarterum vocatum de Calp in annis Mº CCCCº XXI and XXIIº to Isidor Pérez. 109Pérez was inhabitant of Benissa, a coastal village where fishing had to had have an important role in the local economy, like in modern period, although he was not a fisher.So, despite being referred to fish, neither local tolls nor fish tithes were leased by fishermen.
For consuming fish, people had to go to the market, the specific taules (tables) were fish and all the commodities were sold.However, the insistence of local authorities in the obligation of selling the fish in the market place shows that people did not respect them.Indeed, fresh fish used to be sold and resold in the beach itself by fisher's women exempted of municipal taxes. 110In Valencia, local regulations forced fishermen to clean the intestine of the large species like tuna in the beach or the harbour before introducing the fish in the city. 111It is probably that women helped in this task.
Whereas common people had to go the taules, magnates had direct access to merchants and fishmongers for providing their houses.The first duke of Gandia, Alfons d'Aragó, the Elder, was a good example of the patterns of fish consumption among high nobility during the second half of 14 th century and the first decade of the 15 th .Firstly, for them, fish was essentially a substitute for the meat for the days of abstinence although they consumed during other periods also.Secondly, magnates had a preference for the peix de tall (fish of cut), referring to big species that 108.Garcia-Oliver, Ferran."Memòria fiscal…": 11. 109.Pérez finally paid all the sum in 1425, although this quantity is not referred in the document.ACV.No. 3546, f. 286.110.Aparisi Romero, Frederic."La pesca marítima…": 377.111.Llibre d'establiments i ordenacions…: 377.need to be cut before cooking them such as conger eel, hake and, overall, tuna. 112hirdly, such preferences did not exclude smaller fishes both for the dukes and their servants like sardines, that were consumed fresh, salted, preserved (escabetx) and smoked.Shellfish was regularly present in their diet.Species varied according to the season, but prawns used to be present in the duke's table regularly while lobster were reserved for special days.Finally, since the table became a metaphor of the social status, the consumption of fish, as any other foodstuffs, did not was strictly related to the place where dukes resided.Indeed, the dukes showed their economic prominence eating fresh fish despite being far from the coast, like in January of 1371 when, staying in Benavarri, in the County of Ribagorça -Catalonia-the duchess asked for sardines, or in the autumn of 1386 when the duke consumed hake from Gandia while he resided in his domains in Castile. 113lso, major clergymen, who used to belong to magnate families, contacted directly with fishmongers.So, as it has been mentioned previously, on the 20 th of February of 1467 the bishop's butler bought directly from the Bernat Guillem, tonyinerius and congrerius, 18 arroves (187.2 quilos) of conger eel and 2 arroves (20.8 quilos) of hake for the bishop's court. 114s other foods, also the consumption of fish was different according to religions, particularly for Jews.For them, according to the kashrut, the fish for consuming had to have fins and scales.Therefore, the conversos were proved to be real Christians consuming species such as eels, conger eels, and moray eels, molluscs, pulps and shellfish. 115The lawsuits of the Spanish Inquisition showed how conversos avoided consuming these fishes.So, for instance, Teresa, maid in the house of the converso Galceran Bellvís, a shopkeeper from Xàtiva, declared that her masters, among other Jewish practices, did never eat fatty salt pork and any type of eels. 116The consumption of fish used to be regular during all year but particularly in the religious festivities.So, it was the central food for making up the dinner subsequent to the Jew's funeral.In the final, the species consumed in these burial rites depended on the purchasing power of the family, but they varied from sardines to tuna and hake. 117Also the fasts of the Yom Kippur and of the Purim -the Queen Ester's fast-used to be finished consuming fish and vegetables instead of meat. 118uslim food system did not have these restrictions about fish, so they went to the market for buying as Christians did.Since domestic buying of fish were not registered neither in notarial books nor in Court of Justice registries -even less in the case of Muslim population, archaeology is the only way to measure the consumption of fish.However, detailed studies based on stable isotope analysis from later medieval sites are quite rare in Valencia.Despite that, with the data available, it has been suggested that Muslim population consumed more fish, particularly marine fresh fish, than Christians, even when those had some many days of abstinence during the year. 119

Conclusions
Fishermen never became a collective with economic and political power in medieval Valencia.In the case of the capital of the kingdom, despite they had one of the oldest guilds in the city, it only had competences in fishing matters, without influence over the city council.As any given social group economic differences existed among fishermen, although generally speaking, they belonged to the lower ranks of the local communities.The possession of the boat and nets became the main element of differentiation among them.But, in general, most of fishermen practised farming as a sideline economic activity.The difficulties for making a living seems to be the main reason for the intense mobility that also defined medieval fishermen.This forced some coastal councils to settle fishermen in their towns in order to supply local demand of with fish.Fishermen used to find their wives among the members of the collective although also the lower ranks of the peasantry.Given the general poverty of these families, oral marriage agreements of germania seems to be predominant.However, examples of marriages with dowry has been also given.
Given the Mediterranean environment of Valencia, inland fishing had a secondary role, being basically individual and for autoconsumption.Only in the mouth of the major rivers such as the Guadalaviar, Xúquer, Segura, Millars and Serpis, fishing had some economic importance.So, in medieval Valencia fishing basically meant coastal fishing, although we have some scarce references about hatcheries and fisheries also.The means of production -nets and boats-were not accessible for all fishermen.Indeed, many of them were just labourers in the sea.Others could lease the boat for fishing from their richer neighbours who possessed it as one more of their investments.Generally speaking, a medium size boat cost 118.Barrio  between 500 and 800 shillings (sous), although a small one could be bought for 150 shillings (sous).
Fish consumption was defined by an inelastic demand that increased during the periods of abstinence and decrease the rest of the year.Both local catches and international imports supplied the demand, although some nuances can be detected.Whereas the common people consumed, generally speaking, small species, welloff sectors of the society preferred fish of cut like tuna but without relinquishing to the pleasure of sardines and herrings.In the kingdom of Valencia, salting and smoking fish industries did not exist so all catches were sold fresh in the same day or the next, according to local regulations, suppling both inner and coastal towns.On contrary, imports were all salted, smoked or dried fish.Indeed, the capital of the kingdom had to import large quantities of different species of fish such as tuna, hake and sardines.Finally, the consumption of fish also became a symbol for the different religions that existed in Valencia during the Middle Ages.Neither Muslim nor Christian people have restrictions about fish.On contrary, for Jews the fish to be consumed had to have fins and scales.All in all, fish had an essential role as complementary food in the medieval diet, dominated by cereals and meat.Despite this importance and although Valencia was a coastal country, fishing activities did not become a mainstream for the economy of medieval Valencia.
illustration 1. fishery known as comuns de les marJals.map provided by the author.