A week ago (August 25th) was the first day when commercial fishing of Llampugas (Common Dolphinfish; Latin: Coryphaena hippurus, also: Lampugus siculus [Valenciennes]) was allowed. If you go for this Autumnal fish as a private person, you would be allowed to go for the fish at any time here in Mallorca as long as you are in possession of a valid fishing license. As a professional fisherman, however, you would be restricted to the official season which goes from now until the end of November. One can already find Llampugas in some of the fish markets on the island. The Llampuga is a migratory fish, usually at home in the Atlantic where it can grow up to a size of 2 m but, also at home in the Pacific and the Indian Ocean (see map below). Prices for Llampugas at Mallorcan fish mongers seem up on last year, possibly due to it being early days and availability still being scarce. Once everybody catches enough of the fish, prices should come down to their usual affordability (around 8 €). Some people claim that the Llampuga is also a farmed fish but, I have no evidence of any farmed Llampuga, here in Mallorca.

When I spoke to one of the fishermen in Portocolom the other day, I was told that Llampugas are being caught between 4 and 14 nautical miles out into the Mediterranean Sea. In the old days, four men were needed to manhandle the special surface net. Nowadays, only two people are needed because the fishing boats are equipped with stronger engines and the nets are now made of nylon, thus being more hard-wearing, stronger and more durable.

September 1st is the official day of the start of the Raor fish season (Pearly Razorfish; Latin: Xyrichtys novacula). That is an all-together different kind of fish. The Raor season evokes a frenzy amongst many hobby fishermen here in Mallorca. The Raor tastes decidedly different from any other fish and certainly different from the Llampuga. The Raor sells for ten times the price of the Llampuga, at 80 € and more; its season extends from September 15th to April 1st.

The photo (top) was taken in Portocolom, Mallorca, Baleares, Spain. The date: August 26th, 2011. The time was 11:30:43. The map was borrowed from the Internet, courtesy of obis.org.au.

Thank you very much.