The Brotherhood of Fishermen Santa Ana, based in Llanes, has been selected this Tuesday as the winner of the Exemplary Town of Asturias Award 2026, called by the Princess of Asturias Foundation and endowed with 40,000 euros, as reported by the institution itself.
The jury made this decision after analyzing the 30 proposals submitted for the thirty-seventh edition of the award, whose submission deadline ended on July 9. Finally, it leaned towards the Brotherhood of Fishermen Santa Ana, from Llanes "for sustainability, innovation, solidarity, the study and dissemination of fishing culture, and efficiency in its management model. In addition, this award recognizes all the brotherhoods of fishermen and their people."
The jury has been composed of Ana Alonso Lorenzo, Cristina Álvarez Mendo, Azahara Cañedo Ramos, María Cardín Blanco, Lucía González Cuesta, Leticia González Menéndez, Juaco López Álvarez, Marlén López Fernández, Judith Naves Morán, Eva Pando Iglesias, Marco de la Rasilla Vives, Rosa Roces García, Ramón Rodríguez Álvarez, Trinidad Rodríguez Díez, Germán Romano Sobrino, and Jorge Suárez Díaz, under the presidency of Francisco Rodríguez García and with Fernando Delgado Álvarez as secretary.
The Brotherhood of Fishermen Santa Ana of Llanes has its roots in the ancient Brotherhood of Mariners of San Nicolás, one of the oldest in the Principality, which grouped the fishing community of the town since its creation around 1350 and played a key role in the local economy thanks to whale fishing between the 14th and 17th centuries.
This group linked to the sea, in which women historically also participated in land tasks such as net makers or street vendors, also assumed religious and welfare functions. For generations, the Brotherhood of San Nicolás financed processions, celebrations of saints, masses, and funerals of members, in addition to providing assistance to the sick, widows, orphans, passing sailors, and shipwrecked individuals.
The brotherhood obtained the confirmation of the Catholic Monarchs in 1480, the year in which it built its chapel in the Cimadevilla neighborhood of Llanes, which, expanded in 1661, today preserves a notable state of conservation. Until the decline of whaling at the end of the 18th century and its disappearance in the first half of the 19th, the entity, identified with whale hunting, artisanal fisheries, and maritime trade, collaborated with the City Council in the construction of a first and modest dock in the Llanes port in the mid-16th century and contributed with continuous drafts to the service of the Royal Navy.
After the end of whaling, the fishermen of Llanes maintained artisanal fishing activity and came to have, in the 1920s, one of the most important fleets of steamships in the Principality. Currently, the Brotherhood continues to bet on traditional arts and prioritizes responsible exploitation, along with the sustainability of species and fishing grounds.
The port of the town of Llanes continues to be one of the most relevant fishing enclaves in Asturias, a fact that boosts tourism, hospitality, and the economy of the area. The daily fish auction, recognized by National Geographic for its commitment to sustainable fishing; the festivities of Santa Ana and the gastronomic days, such as the tasting of red tuna, are part of the promotional actions that the brotherhood promotes.
The entity also promotes and coordinates various cultural proposals, including the annual photography contest Amartumar, aimed at raising awareness about ocean protection, or the Marinera Route of the Princess, an educational itinerary through historical buildings and spaces of Llanes that Princess Leonor of Austria would have traveled during a stay in the town in 1517.
In 2018, the Brotherhood published the book Antiguos mareantes de Llanes, by historian Antonio Celorio Méndez-Trelles, which reviews the trajectory and structure of the local fishing guild from the 12th to the 20th century. It has also launched children's publications to educate about respect for the sea, such as the book Pescando valores (2025) and the volume Llanes, gente del mar, which gathers photographs and texts about historical figures and members of the brotherhood.
The organization develops numerous actions linked to sustainability and ocean protection, including awareness workshops and beach cleaning days. In June 2020, it signed a collaboration agreement with the Zero Discharges Association to promote the "Circular Seas" project, through which vessels collect waste found during fishing activities for subsequent treatment on land, and participates in various citizen awareness programs and promotion of the circular economy.
In the solidarity field, the brotherhood promotes initiatives such as delivering part of the catches to families with fewer resources or for the solidarity menus of the Hospitality School of the IES of Llanes. On the occasion of the UN's declaration of 2022 as the International Year of Artisanal Fishing, it launched a specific campaign to raise awareness among children about the importance of artisanal fishing in the local economy and sustainability.
Likewise, it makes a constant effort to communicate its projects and commitments through its website, social media, and printed materials such as posters, brochures, or bookmarks. In 2025, it was awarded the Urogallo de Oro prize, granted by the Asturian Center of Madrid, for its defense of artisanal fishing and the conservation of local maritime culture.
The Exemplary Town of Asturias Award has distinguished since 1990 a town, village, population center, landscape space, or human collective of the Principality that stands out for the protection and maintenance of its natural, environmental, or historical, cultural, or artistic heritage.
Submitted Candidacies
In this edition, alongside the Santa Ana Fishermen's Brotherhood, the towns and collectives of Soto, in Laviana; the La Peruyal Society, from Parres; El Pito and the Friends of Cudillero Association; Arnáu, in Castrillón; Santo Adriano; Bermiego, in Quirós; and the parish of Posada, in Llanes were also vying for recognition.
Also among the candidates were the neighborhood community of Fitoria, in Oviedo; Murias, in Aller; the Val.le de Cuna, in Mieres; Salas; Corao, in Cangas de Onís; the parish of Llaviana, in Gozón; El Mazucu, in Llanes; Suarías, in Peñamellera Baja; Berbes, in Ribadesella; and Valdepares, in El Franco.
The list of candidacies was completed by the parish of Piantón, in Vegadeo; Trubia and Siones, in Oviedo; the parish of Coya, in Piloña; Taramundi; the neighborhood community of Caso; the parish of Pelluno, in Aller; the valley of Samuño, in Langreo; Grado; El Regueral, in Carreño; and El Castillo, in Soto del Barco.