Nansa

What is

Pot. Bell-shaped fishing trap, woven with jonc, vímet or canya mesh. The fish enters through a funnel mouth and does not know how to get out. Morenell 's older sister (DCVB).

How is

• Shape: flared receptacle; inside, a funnel (anfàs) that points inwards.
• Material: jonc, vímet or canya; today, metal or plastic mesh (to verify in the Mallorcan fleet).
• Parts: cos (body), anfàs (conical entrance mouth), faç (face or base that is repaired), mouth to remove the fish, and the bait tied inside.
• Types (DCVB, general Catalan-Balearic nomenclature):
• nansa sepiera: narrow, wide mesh, small anfàs; with branches in the mesh to shade the cuttlefish.
• nansa porrussera: tall, narrow mesh; for pagres and conger eels.
• rock net: very large, very wide mesh; lobsters, sea bream.
• nansa boguera: low and wide below, deep anfàs; for vogues.
• nansa xuclera: for chuclas.

How is fa

The fisherman wove them on land, in the escar or in the vorera hut ( escars ), with jonc or vímet. Basket weaving technique ( espart i cistellia ). The fil de nansa (the finest of the corders) was used to tie them ( corderia ). Without verified active nanser in Mallorca.

Com s'usa

1. It is fattened (s'esca) according to the species: sonsos, harangada.

2. It is lowered to the bottom from the llaüt with a stone and rope; a cork marks the spot.

3. It is left hours or days; It is lifted, emptied through the rear mouth and puffed again.

Vocabulary

• nansa — trap, bell-shaped trap.
• morenell — small trap, same shape.
• anfàs — entry funnel.
• faç — face of the nansa that recovers ("marinate the faç d'una nansa").
• escar / esca — put bait / the bait.
• fil de nansa — very fine corder thread for fishermen.
• nansa (2) — asa, in the north of Catalonia; not in Mallorca.

History

• 1393: «the nanses ab què prenen peix» (doc., DCVB).
• 1575: "la nança o barbol fet de vímens" (Onofre Pou, Thesaurus puerilis, DCVB).
• 20th-21st century: Oceana (2014) points out that in the Balearic Islands selective gears such as creels, gambins and morenells have been declining until they almost disappeared due to lack of profitability.

On veure'n

• Maritime Museum of Mallorca (Palma) and Sea Museum (Port de Sóller): fishing crafts and techniques (specific pieces to be verified).
• Archive of So and Image : search for videos of fishing with nansa.

Why is it design

• Trap without mechanism: geometry only; the funnel does the job.
• Selective: mesh and size according to species; the little ones escape.
• Shore material: jonc and cane from the coast; The faç is repaired without redoing the entire piece.

For the project

• Piece: the nansa as a lamp or jonc sculpture (the shape is already iconic); with basket makers if one is found.
• Search in the fishermen's associations (Porto Cristo, Cala Rajada, Portocolom) who remembers weaving nanses.
• Atlas: the nansa as an example of selective fishing versus trawling.

Sources

• dcvb.iec.cat/results.asp?Word=nansa
• oceana.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/18/OCEANA_Illes_Baleares_03_Pesca_Artesanal_
• mallorca.com/ca/guia/lugares-de-interes/museu-de-la-mar

Working text from the Disseny Indígena knowledge base, machine-translated from Spanish.

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