Andalusia – On the coast of lightJuan Leal’s voice sounds husky when he sings Flamenco songs whilst steeringhis fishing boat from Conil de la Frontera into the Atlantic; songs of loveand beautiful Andalusia. “It prevents me from quarrelling with my brothers” hejokes. At the crack of dawn, the three men haul morays, sea bream and gurnardon board. The catch is not very large, but Juan cannot imagine workingin any other job: in his family, all of the males have been fishermen for generations. In Tarifa, Katharina Heyer is after bigger fish. Until recently, hardly anyoneknew that a population of pilot whales lived in the Straits of Gibraltar, betweenfreighters, tankers and high-speed ferries. Swiss Katharina founded a trust,with which to research and protect the marine mammals – and promptly metwith resistance. “This here is macho country”; laughs Katharina, admittingthat “the woman from inland” was initially considered with a certain degree ofscepticism. Today however, the natives even help her with her work. Her colleague,Eduardo Montana, enthuses: “Seeing the animals has totally changedmy life”.
