The local shipyards supplied the Ottomans and the Venetians with warships in the 16th century. Soon they began building merchant crafts. Ship-owners from the Ionian Islands preferred to place their orders with shipyards on the mainland to avoid the limitations placed on naval construction by the Venetian authorities. Local fishing in the Ambracian Gulf made extensive use of local crafts that had the appropriate size and design. Priaria were 12 meters long and could carry all the necessary fishing equipment. Gaitopoules were smaller (3 meters) boats without a deck and were perfect for hunting birds and fishing in the divaria (enclosed spaces in the lagoon where fish was trapped and easily caught).