Jul
10
Galicia designs multi-annual scheme for sardines
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Sardine capture. (Photo: Juan Murias/Copyright: FIS)
Galicia designs multi-annual scheme for sardines
SPAIN
Thursday, July 10, 2014, 22:00 (GMT + 9)
Members of the purse seine industry and the Secretariat for Rural and Marine Affairs of Xunta de Galicia are working on the development of a Multi-Annual Management Plan for Sardine Fishing.
The main objective is to determine the necessary technical measures for the conservation of this pelagic resource and to ensure the socio-economic development of its capture.
According to the Secretary General of Marine Affairs, Juan Maneiro, to design this plan two meetings of the Purse Seine Sector Committee of the Galician Fisheries Council were held.
During the 8th Commission of Fish and Shellfish Harvesting, he explained that by 14 July a meeting will be conducted in order to support the sardine (Sardina pilchardus) management plan.
Furthermore, the Secretariat arranged the issuance of two technical reports and requested an investigation into the socio-economic impact of fishing the species in the ports of Galicia.
Maneiro also said the sector and the Galician Executive consider that the establishment of a total allowable catch (TAC) that is highly restrictive for sardines “would cause great harm to the Galician purse seine fleet,” as it depends mostly on fishing this resource, reported the Xunta.
With respect to the stock of the resource, he explained that it is characterized by high interannual variation and this fluctuation is due to the fact that the recruitments are heavily dependent on environmental and oceanographic conditions.
He also stated that the necessary technical measures to rebuild the sardine stock should be focused on restricting the fishing capacity and on the impact of environmental factors, both on recruitment and abundance.
Besides, Maneiro clarified that the Iberian stock of this pelagic resource covers the Galician, Asturian, Cantabrian, Basque, Portuguese and Andalusian fleets. Therefore, he warned that any action taken must be coordinated with all these fleets.
However, he recalled that Portugal unilaterally set its own management plan, which –based on historical rights – comprises 70 per cent of the total allowable catches. This proposal is not accepted by the Spanish authorities and the various fleets engaged in the sardine capture in Iberian waters.
Related article:
– New European pilchard management plan settled
By Analia Murias
editorial@fis.com
www.fis.com
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