Gloria "Tina" Valle García

Gloria Valle García, better known as Tina, was born in Puerto Real, Cabo Rojo in a family where all her brothers were fishers. Her mother, Providencia “Lencha” García, was a homemaker and a great cook, and her father, José “Cheo” Valle made and sold brooms. There were 7 sisters and 6 brothers in the family. Tina always wanted to fish like her brothers and she learned with them.

“The octopus is very funny. It is a very intelligent species. You dive into the water and you can play hide-and-seek with the octopus. You dive and it sees you. You move away and it comes completely out to see where you are [...]. It is enjoyable. I love fishing octopus,” expresses Tina.

With the same sagacity that the octopus shows, is how Tina catches them. She recognizes clearly when the octopuses are hiding in the caves, when they are in the sand, when they have left the caves “The octopus clean its house inside, but leave everything out in front of the cave ” , says Tina about the octopuses and their caves. This way, she identifies where they are. Tina has an exceptional vision and she owns the wisdom that comes with years of experience and constant practice

At the age of 21, she moved to North Carolina, USA. There she fished recreationally with rod, but for Tina there is nothing compared to fishing in Puerto Rico. “You do not feel the same emotion,” she says. After two decades of living outside Puerto Rico, she returned to her hometown and the neighborhood of Puerto Real, where she continued raising 4 children together with her husband Milton Montalvo. He also fishes and he taught her how to fish with line. Rafael, her youngest son, fishes commercially. He is a 21-year-old young man who is passionate about fishing.

Fishing and animal breeding have always allowed her family to have good food on their table They have raised ducks, turkeys, hens, guinea fowls, goats. Tina, just as her Mom, cooks many tasty dishes. About cooking octopus, Tina says that it is easy. “I wash it; I boil water with salt in a pot. I boil the octopus for 20 minutes with the cap looking down, and 20 minutes with the cap looking up. The octopus tells you when it is ready When you see a fissure in the "lonja" (the part of the neck under the cap), the octopus is cooked," she explained.

Occasionally, Tina also makes handicrafts with seashells and scales. She has made earrings, chimes, mirrors, and other ornaments. They show her passion for art and sea.

Currently, she is concerned about the changes that she observes in climate and in the sea. She perceives that water temperature has increased, she has seen loss of corals, and she has witnessed the strong impact caused by hurricane Maria in marine ecosystems.

Despite these changes, she has adapted, and she continues fishing. Pandemic, as for many other fishers, stopped her from fishing for a long time. However, she has never thought about stepping out from fishing. Tina is like a fish; there is no life for her without water. The sea claims her when she is away and she recognizes that calling: “It’s time to jump into the sea because my scales are dry”.

Likewise, we acknowledge Jannette Ramos García the coordination of the interview and the pictures that she took and provided us.

We are very grateful for the generosity of Tina, her husband Milton, and her son Rafael (all of them in the picture) of allowing us to interview them