Fishing Industry

The town of Olhão is essentially and historically linked to the local fishing industry and only grew into existence in the 17th Century. It has about 30,000 inhabitants and was raised to the status of a town in 1808 after 17 local fishermen successfully crossed the Atlantic Ocean without charts in their small fishing boat “Bom Sucesso” (photo). Their purpose was to announce to the exiled King of Portugal, Dom João IV, that the French invading armies had been defeated and had returned to France leaving Portugal free for the King to return. It was in this town in 1882 that the first canning factory for tuna and sardines was established. Very soon canning became the leading industry of the Algarve.

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