Whaling was, for a long period of time, an important industry in the Basque Country, which is illustrated by the shield of the village of Getaria in Lapurdi
Sur le dévelopement de quelques phéosporées ; Sur quelques algues phéosporées de la rade de Villefranche (Alpes-Maritimes) ; Sur quelques algues phéosporées de Guéthary (Basses-Pyrénées), 1929 - On the development of some phaeospores, etc.
Actually, the linguist Henri Gavel put down the name of the town to the Gascon word getari, 'post for watching' (the whales), while this assumption has been disputed by current linguists, who trace the name back to latin caetaria, 'fish processing facility', supported by archaeological evidence unearthed both in Guéthary and the same name Getaria from Gipuzkoa.
Guéthary |