Oct
23
Head of the Secretariat of Marine Affairs of Galicia, Rosa Quintana. (Photo: Xunta de Galicia)
Galician seine sector would demand further quota from Brussels
SPAIN
Thursday, October 22, 2015, 23:10 (GMT + 9)
The head of the Secretariat of Marine Affairs of Galicia, Rosa Quintana, showed willingness to consider a new distribution of fishing quotas in response to the demands of the purse seine fleet. But the sector has not met its expectations so it will continue its fight in Brussels, if necessary, to find solutions.
During a meeting with representatives of the Association of Purse Ship Owners of Galicia (ACERGA) convened to analyse its situation and the management of the fishing opportunities performed by the sector, Quintana ensured the Xunta that the central Government are working towards greater fishing opportunities to the fleet.
In this regard, she noted that since 2009 the quotas of the target of the purse seine sector (mackerel, horse mackerel and anchovy) rose by 52 per cent.
In addition, she showed the willingness of the regional government to study “how it is possible to help ships to carry out a good management of the resources at their disposal.”
“I promised to present all possible arguments of the good standing of the majority of our resources to try to have more fishing opportunities next year,” Quintana said. “This is the line of work that we are keeping between the regional government and the Ministry and we will continue working in this way.”
She recalled that this year a relaxation was achieved in the fishing areas and it was possible to exceed 50 per cent of the fishing opportunities that existed in the area VIIIb, which is next to France, for the Northwest Cantabrian fishing grounds. “That makes it possible for many Galician ships to benefit from these opportunities, which so far had not existed,” she stressed.
As for the allocation of quotas, the head of Marine Affairs recalled that two years ago the sector participated in this deal among all the communities and noted that the criteria were approved and agreed with all industry representatives.
She explained that first there was one deal among different segments of the fleet (coastal trawl, purse seine and small scale) and then it was necessary to correct that criterion because the seine sector understood that it was ill-considered and since 2012 trawling opportunities have been removed and transferred to the seine one.
In this regard, she expressed willingness to review the possibilities of distribution, but asked the industry to analyze the data well. In fact, she noted that in the zone IXa (from Finisterre southwards) Galicia has 97.8 per cent of the fishing opportunities for horse mackerel capture and out of them, 72 per cent corresponds to ACERGA.
However, the meeting with Quintana did not satisfy the concerns of the sector, since, according to ACERGA president, Juan Jose Blanco Agraso, they only received “good words and nothing else.”
The leader recalled that the fleet represented by ACERGA, 120 ships of the 150 existing ones, remains tied due to the “lack of economic viability” caused by the absence of horse mackerel quotas.
Agraso announced that they are now meeting in Madrid with the Secretary General of Fisheries, Andrés Hermida. And if they do not get satisfactory answers in Madrid, union representatives are planning to travel to Brussels to raise the critical situation some 1,200 families are directly facing because of a distribution of fishing opportunities that does not allow them to maintain their livelihood.
Related article:
– Galician seine sector gives away last horse mackerel tonnes to complain about fishery closure
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