A possible revision of the common fishing rules for the European Union could not only put the livelihood of Motril’s fishermen into jeopardy, but will have very negative results for the whole of Andalucia’s fishing sector.
The Director General of the Fishing and Agricultural Board for the Junta de Andalucia, Margarita Perez came to Motril to speak with the local fishing sector, to hear what they had to say on the matter, and we can imagine some of the interactions would not have been pretty.
During July, the Junta and the affected business sectors decided to draw up a common strategy to present to the EU for the defence of the the Andaluz fishing fleet and its fishing grounds, the latter being the crux of the problem.
The argument that the Junta is using, is that the EU Common Fishing Policy does not distinguish between traditional fishing methods and the far more intensive, modern, industrial ones.
“The Motril fishing fleet is in the Intensive Care Unit and might not make it through,” said the Chairman of the local fishing sector, Jesus Caparros. He complained that the EU CFP treated them, who use traditional fishing methods, that haven’t changed in a hundred years or more, in the same light as the industrialised fishing fleets that use modern techonology and floating fish-processing factories.
The CFP aims to achieve maximum output from fishing grounds within sustainable levels, to protect them from over fishing, which means that there has to be a reduction in the EU’s fishing fleet. Spain has Europe’s largest fishing fleet, even after years of cutting back and Andalucia has the biggest fishing fleet in the country.
One faint hope is the search for breeding grounds for the red prawn along the coast of Granada, which would allow the fleet to continue operating whilst temporary fishing bans were in place to allow for other species to recuperate their numbers.
Some years ago, four ship owners carried out searches below 400 metres, as the red-prawn breeding grounds are normal found between 500 and 800 metres, but although some were found, they were not in sufficient numbers for an operation to be economically viable. The project was dropped, but now, with the prospect of a doomsday EU law, a new impulse exists.
The Spanish Oceanographic Institute carried out a survey and considers that it is very likely that such a breeding grounds exist and supports the project. However, it would be the Instituto Espanol de Oceanografia that would be tasked with finding the said breeding grounds and evaluating their viability, not private ship owners, and as yet no new request has been received from the Motril fishing sector.
(News: Motril, Costa Tropical, Granada, Andalucia)