Apr
19
Shipowners request octopus ban extension
Filed Under EN
Cephalopod fishing vessel. (Photo: Terje Engoe/Copyright: FIS)
Shipowners request octopus ban extension
SPAIN
Monday, April 20, 2015, 01:30 (GMT + 9)
The Association of Smaller Scale Gear of Galicia (ASOAR-ARMEGA) has asked the Secretariat of Marine Affairs of the Xunta of Galicia for the octopus ban not to be implemented only for those operating with traps, but also for the trawling fleet and recreational fishers.
While Galicia is negotiating a new management plan for octopus, the Association has suggested that the Government should prohibit the capture of the cephalopod between 15 May and 3 August, 2015, the newspaper La Voz de Galicia informed.
This means that they propose that the ban should last 30 days and during the remaining 75 days a biological stoppage should be decreed.
The ban would be supported by the sector while the biological stoppage would be funded by the Administration.
While last year a slight recovery of the resource was observed, ASOAR-ARMEGA members are cautious about the future.
The proposed closure would be accompanied by a special plan against the illegal activity and poaching.
The owners of inshore vessels have also argued that during the closure period a real and full recovery plan should be developed.
Jose Luis Rodriguez, ASOAR-ARMEGA president, explains that the octopus reproduces quickly, but its life cycle takes about two or three years, so it is necessary to “give room for spawning and for the specimens to lay eggs as many times as possible,” the newspaper Faro de Vigo reported.
“We do not want our request to be misunderstood. It does not mean to be paid for doing nothing, but during that time we are ready to work for the Xunta by performing regeneration tasks as well as shoreline cleanup and monitoring,” adds Rodriguez.
On the other hand, Correo Gallego reported that during the first quarter of 2015 catches on the coast of Terras, between Caión (A Laracha) and Rianxo, fell 23 per cent over the same period in 2014.
In addition, at the markets of the zone, a total of 266,355 kg was auctioned in the first quarter of 2015, which is 23 per cent less than in 2014.
Shortages of octopus did not translate into a rise in prices, so that billing also dropped, by 25 per cent.
Between January and March revenues of approximately EUR 1.3 million was achieved at Terras markets compared to EUR 1.7 million in the first quarter of 2014, indicated Pesca de Galicia.
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By Analia Murias
editorial@fis.com
www.fis.com
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