La Mattanza: Sicilian Tuna Slaughter

Every spring, Atlantic bluefin tuna migrated through the Mediterranean past Sicily. For a millennium, Sicilian fishermen laid enormous seasonal net traps (tonnara) that funneled fish into a series of chambers. The final chamber - camera della morte - was where fishermen hauled tuna aboard and killed them with harpoons in the mattanza. Songs (cialomas) coordinated the work. It was violent, ancient, and productive - the tonnara at Favignana was the largest fishery in the Mediterranean well into the 20th century. Overfishing collapsed bluefin runs; the last commercial mattanza ended around 2010.

The mattanza was both fishing and ritual. Songs, prayers, and folklore surrounded it. The rais (captain) was a revered position passed down through generations.