The festival
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The festival
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The festival
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The festival
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Seafaring tradition
Vilanova de Arousa is an eminently seafaring municipality. Its municipal capital – which bears the same name – encompasses more than a third of the territory’s population.
One of the pillars of the local economy comes from the exploitation of the resources provided by its rich natural habitat, both from the sea and from the land. In fact, among the activities with the greatest weight are fishing and shellfish gathering -with the marketing of mussels and cockles as the main exponents-, in addition to the industry linked to the sea -such as canning companies. Agriculture – with winemaking as the most important activity – is another of the economy’s driving forces, along with livestock and timber production, but to a lesser extent.
The importance of Vilanova de Arousa as a fishing port dates back centuries. Today, traditional methods of inshore fishing are still preserved – such as shellfish gathering on foot to obtain cockles and clams. More recently, the town is considered the cradle of the Galician mussel, being one of the main producers of mussels, whose rafts make up a unique picture within the Arousa estuary. In fact, the first raft installed in Galicia was placed on the coast of Vilanova in 1946. Since then, aquaculture has not stopped growing and is the livelihood of many families in the municipality.
Traditional fishing also includes other categories in Vilanova de Arousa such as those linked to spider crabs, velvet crabs and ox crabs. Pilchards, marlins, squid and sardines are also among the most important catches in the territory, without detracting from octopus fishing.
The seafaring sector is so important for the population of Vilanova that, for this reason, it could not be without its own food festival. Currently, the Mussel and Cockle Festival has become the best showcase for the town, welcoming thousands of visitors every August who seek to discover the trades linked to the sea and its most outstanding produce.