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economic structures of the fishery (Longo & Clark 2012). The Spanish were the most

significant and longstanding power in Sicily and later in Sardinia, when King Philip II

formally established the tonnare there in 1587 (Emery 2010, p. 8; Rubino 1994 cited in

Longo & Clark 2012, p. 211).

Preservation was of course central to a successful tuna trade and therefore revenue.

Tuna in brine or salted in barrels were the primary products for both a local and a European

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market. In the early 17 century salumi di tonno (dried cured tuna) was the most widely
exported product from Trapani, Sicily (Cancila 1972 cited in Longo & Clark 2012, p. 212).

Not only was the tuna flesh preserved but the organs too. Cured organs have historically

played and continue to play, a significant cultural and economic role in local food culture,

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trade, and artisan practices. Many cured organ products that were exported in the 1500s

continue to be made and traded today. For example, mosciame is most likely what is now

called musciami (the sperm), and uova di tonno (female egg sac) is the popular delicacy

bottarga. Preserved organs not only supplied a local market but also supplemented the wage

of tonnarotti. Giuliano Greco, the fourth generation owner of the tonnara, describes the

mattanza of the past as a bloody affair because of the competitive practice of retrieving the

organs.

In the past there was a crew of 120 people…when there was mattanza it was like a
race, a game, because if they caught more tuna they had more organs, which was
good for them for money. (G Greco 2013, pers. comm. 1 June)

The story of cured organs continues and is part of the story of environmental conflict

in Sardinia, a point I return to through the case study of the Sardinian tonnare in chapters

four, five and six. Briefly, these products continue to be important to a local economy and

culture, and to supplement the wage of tonnarotti. However, the practice of mattanza and any

local harvest for that matter is in decline, which means a decline in local tuna organ

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