Gandingos: Carboneros de la desembocadura del Nalón

Abstract

The production of coal in the Asturian basin generated collaterally the pollution of the Nalón River from those points where the discharges of the coal preparation plant were carried out. In these discharges, given the low efficiency of many coal washes, large amounts of ore were lost. This was carried by the river Nalón and its tributaries, giving them their typical black color, which characterized it for decades. Along the course of the course there were river coal preparation plant for more than fifty years that took advantage of the coal haul; at the mouth, given the depth of the river this method of coal utilization was not possible. That did not prevent, once the fishing was diminishing, they were looking for new means of subsistence. People quickly realized that the bottom of the river was upholstered with coal, this marked the birth of the activity of the gandinga or coal fishing. In the present work the importance of this coal fishing in the mouth of the Nalón, from 1915 to 1960, will be verified, based on statistical data of production. It will also show the traditional tools of coal fishing and the different methodologies used.