Corrales de Pesca

Walk north from the lighthouse along the rocky foreshore at low tide and you cannot miss the corrales de pesca — long curved walls of black stone laid out across the intertidal zone. Each one is a giant fish trap: as the tide ebbs, fish stranded inside the wall are picked up by the corraleros wading through the shallow pools with hand nets.

The traps are still actively used, particularly the corrales of "El Hondón", "El Mortandad", and "La Reina". They are protected as Bienes de Interés Cultural. The best time to see them in use is on a low spring tide; check the tide tables and ask at the tourist office about the schedule of demonstration outings.

things to do sight history
A story
The corrales — semi-circular dry-stone walls built parallel to the shore — trap fish behind them when the tide goes out. The technique is at least 2,000 years old, mentioned by Roman geographers, and the corrales of Chipiona and the neighbouring Rota coast are among the last working examples anywhere in the world. The fishermen's brotherhood that maintains them is protected by Spanish law.