Barco Mercantel or Saleiro / Saleira or Salineiro
In Aveiro, the sea, the estuary and the Vouga river have been established for centuries as arteries of communication and transport. The lagoon's river network, consisting of a multitude of piers and anchorages, and excellent navigability conditions, united, until the first half of the 20th century, the different municipalities of the Ria de Aveiro.
To the municipalities of Ovar, Murtosa, Estarreja, Ílhavo, Vagos and Pessegueiro do Vouga, “salt pans” with tons of salt from Aveiro arrived at the landings.
Typical lagoon boats, powered by sails, tows or oars, carried, on average, loads of twelve tons of salt.
For many years, this boat could be purchased in the city, during the March Fair, or at the old Boat and Sail Fair.
The emergence of alternative means of transport such as railways, buses and trucks also reduced the number of traders in the estuary.