Fishing village in Barcelona

Cadaques and Peniscola come to mind, although there may be ones closer to Barcelona.

There haven't been any true fishing in or around Barcelona in decades, commercial or otherwise. Your husband may know that the Mediterranean is quite overfished. Most of those quaint fishing villages you see haven't seen a real fisherman in many years, they're more just for show.

To get a taste of authentic fishing culture in Spain, I'd suggest looking at the Basque Country or Cantabria.

I asked a local friend of mine who used to be a fisherman and he said that Palamós on the Costa Brava has the last remaining fishing fleet on Spain's Mediterranean coast, although it's a relatively small operation these days, apparently there is a fishing museum in that town.

As mentioned, the Museu de la Pesca (Fishing Museum) in Palamós is perhaps something that will catch his eye: https://visitmuseum.gencat.cat/en/museu-de-la-pesca

Also, perhaps you might be interested in visiting one of the seafood farms at the Ebre river delta: https://vimeo.com/108113832 This video it’s mostly an interview (and not in English but in Catalan!) nonetheless you can catch glimpses of the place throughout the video. Note this is NOT a tourist attraction per se but rather an off-the-beaten-path proposal for those looking out for “non-touristy” stuff to do/to see.

IMPORTANT: these visits are organised in Catalan and Spanish only albeit they can also be accompanied by a translator if a minimum group is formed. If you’re interested in visiting the farms accompanied by a translator contact the organisers of the visits at Estació Nàutica (ctc Jordi or Sílvia at +34977101010 or [email protected]). More info: https://enlarapita.com/en/thrill/mussel-beds-route-of-the-badia-dels-alfacs/

The industry of harvesting mussels, clams and oysters in the south of Catalonia is an important one, alongside the rice farms which produce the famous arroç bomba (bomba-type rice), ideal to prepare paellas and risottos. These seafood farms are located both in the bays of Fangar and Els Alfacs, both at the mouth of the river Ebre as well as in the open sea a few miles off the coast. Over 4,000 tonnes of mussels, 800 of oysters and 30 of clams are harvested every year in this area.

The tourist exploitation of the seafood farms includes a visit to some of them where visitors can see how mussels, oysters and clams are farmed and taste them in impromptu open-air restaurants. A visit to these farms, in Sant Carles de la Ràpita, is a great family day escapade. Visits are organised in small groups (minimum required) that tour the bay and are then transported by boat to the farms. For info: Delta de l’Ebre mussels can be purchased in the Bon Preu, Esclat and Condis supermarkets located across many towns and cities in Catalonia.

How to get there from Barcelona: my advice though is to rent a car to visit the area as you’ll surely want to visit several other locations in the area, such as the Natural Park, one of the best preserved in Southern Europe: Delta de l’Ebre (https://www.catalunya.com/delta-de-lebre-natural-park-17-17001-573534?language=en).

I have spent quite a bit of time in L’Ametlla de Mar, just south of Tarragona. Whilst a popular beach destination, it has a very active fishing port, with the boats and nets easily viewed from a very attractive waterfront walk.