The ports of Marseille now only have about thirty fishermen on traditional barquettes marseillaises armed for fishing, the bulk of the flotilla being dedicated to yachting. These barquettes nevertheless benefit from a feeling of almost carnal affection on the part of their owners who have, for the most part, developed a passion for this type of boat of which they take great care. Long passed down from generation to generation, the barquettes marseillaises were almost considered members of the family. Their owners today constitute a relatively homogeneous male population with an average age of over fifty.