La Encañizada is a wetland located between the southern edge of the Regional Park of Salinas and Arenales de San Pedro del Pinatar and the Veneziola area, north of la Manga. It is one of the protected natural spaces that still retains a significant portion of its original values and forms. At the boundary with the Mediterranean, a series of reefs or small bariers stand out. On the other side, next to the Mar Menor, two small islets, El ventorrillo and La Encañizada, the latter having had a defensive tower since the 16th century, which was demolished in 1938. These islets are traversed by two golas or communication channels, Gola de la Torre and Gola del Ventorrillo, the only natural ones that remain of the five that exist in La Manga.

In these two golas, to take advantage of the migratory movement of some fish such as mullet, sea bream, leerfish, or flathead grey mullet, elaborate fishing systems have been installed since the Arab period. These systems, made with reeds and nets, are called "encañizadas", which have given the area its name. They are usually located in shallow waters and shifting sandabars. These two encañizadas belonged to the State, which leased them through public auctions. Today, the encañizada of Gola de la Torre is still in operation.

The surroundings of the encañizada are a trasit, resting, and nesting area for multitude of water birds such as flamingos, herons, and avocets.

Encañizada de la Torre.

It is the only one preserved in the entire Mediterranean Sea and is located in the Veneziola ara north of La Manga and south of the Regional Park of Salinas de San Pedro. The building was constructed in 1509, and of the five encañizadas that were operational in the 1950s and 1960s, la Torre, after several restorations, is the last one still in ooperation, in a protected natural space that still preserves its original forms. This fishing technique of encañizadas, originating from the Arab period, boasts six centuries of artisanal fishing. Encañizadas fishing involves placing canes in ciruclar labyrinths in water channels between the Mar Mayor and the Mar Menor so that passing fish become trapped in the maze, especially sea bass and sea bream that emerge after spawning in the warmer watres of the Mar Menor. The last owner of the conession from the State is "Pescados Albaladejo". In the background is the encañizada of Ventorrillo.