Mare Magnum (MAR)

Mare Magnum (MAR, Fishing in Galicia) is a project co-produced with the Galician Regional Government's Ministry of the Sea and photographers Ian Berry, Richard Kalvar (both from Magnum Photos), Xulio Villarino, and Delmi Álvarez.

The book "MAR: Fishing in Galicia," published in 2008, is a large-format documentary (262 pages) that portrays the culture, craft, and identity of Galician fishing. It serves as a visual testament to the fishing sector in Galicia, capturing daily life in the ports, traditional and modern fishing techniques, and the human relationship with the sea. It goes beyond a tourist perspective, delving into the hardship and beauty of maritime work, from shipbuilding to the processing industry.

Workers cleaning tuna fish. Rianxo. 2008

The project was conceived as a traveling exhibition, intended to be shown in various Galician municipalities as part of "Memory of the Sea" initiatives. Although there isn't a confirmed temporary exhibition for 2026, the Museo do Mar (Museum of the Sea) usually rotates its photographic collection, so it's recommended to contact them to check if the series by Ian Berry, Richard Kalvar, or Delmi Álvarez are on display.

I wrote the book project to provide a collective vision of the fishing world, given the lack of books addressing this very broad topic, and to create a book that could be given away during visits to the regional government offices.

This collective project was carried out and consisted of a book and a traveling exhibition featuring four photographers, three from Magnum Photos.

The theme of the book Mare Magnum (Sea, Fishing in Galicia) offers a profound and artistic look at life and work on the Galician coast, capturing everything from the daily tasks of the fishermen to the essence of the coastline.

The context: It was part of an initiative to dignify and document Galicia's maritime culture through the "outsider's eye" of renowned photographers. The book, published by the Galician Ministry of the Sea (Consellería del Mar), is out of print, but it can often be found in specialized libraries or cultural centers in Galicia, as it was an institutional publication of the Xunta (Galician Government). It is also resold at exorbitant prices in specialized online bookstores as a second-hand book.

The fieldwork was divided based on ideas contributed by the Ministry, professionals in the sector, and the authors' own research.

The topics, according to the book's index, are Inshore fishing, Shellfishing, Deep-sea fishing, Canning industry, Aquaculture and research, and Maritime rescue. With the themes established, the authors gave their opinions on what each of them would like to photograph, respecting any prior work the author had been doing on a particular topic for years.

With 262 pages and color photos with texts on each topic explaining the work photographed, in our opinion, We thought it was a very worthwhile project and were satisfied with the final product, although, as with everything, it could always be improved with more time. It's worth getting a copy if someone puts it up for sale, but as I said, it was an institutional gift. The project involved various anecdotes, and although the original idea was to create a video documentary of each author's work, the budget spiraled out of control. Today, thanks to advances in drone and smartphone filming, which offer very high quality, it would have been possible without involving a full film crew, which would have been impossible to do on board the boats due to space limitations and the need for freedom of movement.
Furthermore, the budget for insuring filming equipment would have been exorbitant. Another important point was that not all camera operators specializing in navigation were available, since seasickness is almost guaranteed, even for experienced sailors.