Figure 1.--Here we see Neopolitan fishermen with some of their equipment in the 1890s. The boy is probablu one of their sons. The boy probably dies not attend school.

Italy is a long, narrow peninsula--the often described boot of Italy. Most Italians kive close to the coast. This means only about 1-2 hours from the coast with modern tranportation. Even in ancient days the travel time to the coast was unsully short. Except for island nations, we know of no other country where so much of the population is located so near the coast. Fih stocks were once abundant offering bountiful catches. Fishing in Italy was and continues to be conducted primarily as a small-scale family activity. And until after the War, fishing families tended to be very poor. Almost always they went barefoot all yearround, except in northern Europe and Canada where it was too cold. Until after World War I, we see many children from fishing fmilies not wearing any clothes, both in southern Europe and Latin America. This was usually the boys. It was less common for the girls. This was the case in Italy with both its poverty and warm Mediterranean climate. An Italian reader writes, "Rightly you write that fishermen's children were commonly barefoot 'throughout Europe', except during the winter in northern countries. In the South, indeed, as for example in Naples, often the children went barefoot all year round. In Naples that was true not only for fishermen's children. Moreover, we have photographic evidences that in Naples often fisherboys went unclothed also in late-19th and early-20th century, at least when they worked. That didn't change over the time for centuries. We have a chronicle dated 1632 telling us that in Chiaia, the Neapolitan seaside, 'the children goes naked throughout all the Summer not only along the seaside, but also through the streets and at home.'" [Marcheix, p. 120.] Most fishermen use small boats and conduct short trips into the Meditrranean or Adriatic Seas. Thus it was commonly a family affair. This affecteed the applicability and enbforceibility of child labor laws. Younger children might help sell the catch on shore. On the previous page we see a boy who is probably selling fish that his own father has just landed (figure 1). Notice the complete lack of ice. Older boys would help father in the boats. Girls rarely worked on the boats. Fishing families tended to be very poor. Polution has become a major problem in recent years affecting the catch.

Sources

Marcheix, L. "Un Parisien à Rome et a Naples en 1632 d'après," Un manuscript inédit de J.-J. Bouchard (Paris without year [19th century]).

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Created: 3:16 AM 6/1/2013
Last updated: 3:16 AM 6/1/2013