Fishing rises up in opposition to the proposed cuts within the Mediterranean: “It is the death of the sector” | Economy | EUROtoday

Fishermen use very sturdy phrases today to explain the European Commission’s proposal for fishing within the Mediterranean, which since Monday the ministers of the sector are discussing in Brussels. “It’s outrageous. They have left a poisoned gift for the new Commissioner [el chipriota Costas Kadis] with incendiary measures that would end the sector,” describes Javier Garat, secretary of the Spanish Fisheries Confederation (Cepesca). The proposal for a worldwide discount of 66% of fishing days within the Mediterranean, which within the Spanish case represents a lower of as much as 79%, signifies that ships might solely exit 27 days a 12 months to restrict shrimp catches. pink, Moorish prawn, deep-sea prawn, crayfish or hake. Hundreds of shipowners, skippers and sailors from ports all through the Mediterranean have traveled to Madrid to display in opposition to what they describe because the “death sentence” of the sector. They left the trawlers moored on land and bought on the buses that took them to the capital to indicate their absolute rejection of the plan by sounding their horns in entrance of the European Commission constructing. “As it is proposed, it is not compatible with the maintenance of fishing activity,” say the fishermen. Sailors, fishmongers, restaurateurs, their households, associates and neighbors of affected fishing cities have achieved the identical of their respective cities and have learn a manifesto in opposition to the plan and in help of the sector.

Garat quantifies that some 3,000 Spanish professionals may very well be instantly affected and that the measure would drag down many different actions: “We are talking about tourism, wholesalers, transporters, ice manufacturers, auxiliary industry, shipyards,” he lists. Basilio Otero, president of the National Federation of Brotherhoods, summarizes it like this: “It is unfeasible that there can be an economic sector that subsists with 27 days of work a year. Not even a beach bar could.” The banners for the Madrid protest have been made with this concept: “Can you imagine supporting your family if you work only 27 days a year?”

“Who can survive working for less than a month?” asks one of many protesters within the capital. He is Joan Puigbert, he’s 37 years previous, he’s the great-grandson, grandson, son and brother of fishermen. Although born in Port de la Selva, he’s now the second boss of the Germans Maurea 20 meter lengthy picket trawler from Llançà, within the north of Girona touching the border with France. In this port, all of its trawlers have had a number of extra days to fish in 2024 than the remainder, 202, as a result of they elevated the dimensions of the mesh and Brussels gave them a number of days. “With the proposal they make to us to work for less than a month, it will be impossible to pay for the mooring or the between 10,000 and 20,000 euros that the insurance costs. It is unsustainable, it will be the death of the sector,” he says. “We will have to leave it and what are we going to live on? Well, we will have to go work as construction workers or deliver for Amazon.” Joan had tried to purchase a ship, however now it’s now not clear to her.

Juan Ferrer, a sailor from Cullera, has arrived in Madrid by bus together with dozens of colleagues from his city and Gandia. Like the remainder, he’s outraged. “If the plan succeeds, we can throw the boats in the trash. The brotherhoods will have to close and see what we eat. At 57 years old, where am I going?” he asks. There have been about 800 individuals within the focus, in accordance with the Government delegation.

The Western Mediterranean Demersal Fisheries Multiannual Management Plan (West Med MAP), authorised in 2019 for the conservation and sustainable exploitation of demersal species, has been applied over the past 4 years with transitional measures that, on common, enable Spanish ships work for 130 days, 40% lower than the preliminary ones. The negotiation to forestall it from getting into its full extent as of January 1 for trawlers and longliners is predicted to be difficult. “I believe that the proposal is something close to administrative mischief and that it should not be attributed to Commissioner Kadis, who has just arrived. In the last four years, the Commission has not done its job, which is to adapt the plan to a socioeconomic reality,” says Iván López, president of the International Coalition of Fisheries Associations. “The reality is that the law required not to touch the wolf, to reduce the manufacture of certain cars and to reduce agricultural production, and all these aspects have been amended or corrected. It seems, however, that telling a fisherman that he can only work one month a year is not an outrage that should be studied, and even more so when no alternative is offered. You cannot tell a community that corporate homicide is the only possible future,” he provides.

The sector confesses that it’s bored with all the time paying the worth for cuts and assaults that there are not any stable scientific arguments behind it, as a result of the experiences on fish populations are made with a two-year delay. “This year 20% more shrimp and hake have been caught working fewer days. It is a clear indication of the recovery of the stocks“says Otero, who rejects seeking compensation for leaving workers on the ground. “This affects the entire economic ecosystem, not just drag. “Mediterranean fishing cannot survive only with inshore and purse seine,” he argues.

Cristina Perelló, also from a fishing family, is part of that ecosystem. He has a fishmonger in Llançà (Girona). “Things are so bad that we have considered going out fishing again with smaller gears to have kilometer zero fish,” he says. Anna Paltré, Cristina’s daughter, is the head chef of the l’Askata family restaurant located on the El Port de la Selva fishing dock and specializing in all types of local seafood products. “I will have to change the menu, I won’t be able to serve fish because we refuse to serve fish from outside,” he explains. Cristina’s son, Josep, who went fishing in Mallorca last year, is also one of those who is in Madrid demonstrating for the viability of fishing. The restaurateur, with great knowledge of the sector as she is the daughter, sister, wife and mother of fishermen, regrets the response received after all the efforts that have been made to reduce boats, fishing days and fishing effort: “They still laugh of us to the face.” “Either they consider that what needs to be done is to promote aquaculture or they are interested in opening markets in third countries,” he explains about the EU plan. In addition, he criticizes that “Europe has not done any socioeconomic study or the social impact that the proposal represents.”

Antonio Fernández, 43 years old, owner of The Paquera and owner of the El Faro fishmonger in Almería. “There has to be something behind it, I don’t know whether to favor Morocco or others but it is not understood. It is the ruin of the sector, that they let us work,” asks the shipowner. His brother is with hundreds of other sailors demonstrating this Monday in the capital. Antonio embarked as a child with his father and since his entire family lives off fishing: “We have to continue eating our fish, which is the best there is.”

Lockout minority

The Spanish strategy led by Minister Luis Planas will be to seek a blocking minority for which the support of at least five countries is necessary. Those directly affected, however, are only three: France, Italy and Spain. “We have to put all our efforts into action,” they ask from the sector. Because in the face of this proposal, according to Garat, the palliative measures that have been applied until now, such as temporary stabilization, will not work. “A large number of ships, of the 560 affected, would be destined for scrapping and permanent stoppage,” he considers.

In the game of negotiations, the sector considers that the measure comes to the Cypriot Costas Kadis too soon and with a team inherited from his predecessor, the Lithuanian Virginijus Sinkevičius. “If you only pay attention to their services, you will be so tied to that precedent that you will be presumed to lack waistline. It should have a waist and fit a solution that allows the fleet to survive,” López believes. EU treaties require the economic ecosystem to be taken into account when implementing measures. And if France, Spain and Italy oppose strongly and look for allies, which could be in countries like Portugal, Croatia or Malta, they would block the plan. As long as the ministers of the affected countries raise it with conviction.

But the fishermen don’t trust it. Xavier Marqués, from the Balearic Fisheries Federation, criticizes from Menorca “the hypocrisy of Europe that desires to annihilate Spanish fishing and import from overseas, the place manufacturing is cheaper.” In the Balearic Islands they are convinced that “the intention of the EU is to destroy the Spanish main sector and for Spain to solely be a rustic that produces the tertiary sector, companies, terraces and solar and seashores,” says Marqués. “Hence the interest in the agreement signed between the EU and Mercosur,” he suspects.

Like yearly, the negotiation of the TACs (complete catches allowed in a interval of 1 12 months) for the Atlantic and the North Sea, in addition to the fishing quotas or respective fishing rights of every State, is anticipated to be lengthy. This 2024, as well as, comes with added protests.