The fishing sector in the Marina Alta heading toward indefinite strike action if new regulation obliging all catches to be weighed on board is upheld
Fishermen say they feel “sad, dissatisfied and outraged” by a law they call “unworkable”, warning that it would require captains to leave the bridge and stop monitoring navigation to deal with paperwork.
The time has come to take a stand. After a lengthy meeting held yesterday by the National Federation of Fishermen’s Guilds, attended by representatives of the Marina Alta fishing fleets, it was agreed to allow a ten-day window for the Spanish Government to respond on whether it is willing to roll back the controversial fisheries control regulation recently imposed on the sector. If no answer comes from Madrid by January 22nd, the fleets will begin an indefinite strike, including protest actions.
The online meeting, which lasted more than two and a half hours, was called to address the new regulation requiring skippers to report the exact weight of each species, item by item, two and a half hours before entering port. It was a large-scale gathering: up to 102 fishermen’s guilds logged in, according to the Xàbia Fishermen’s Guild, which, like those of Dénia and Calp, is particularly affected.
One message came through loud and clear from all sides, guilds, skippers and crew alike: the sector feels “sad, frustrated and indignant because this law is impossible to comply with”. And for good reason. Scales give inaccurate readings due to the movement of the vessel; most boats still have unsorted catch on board when heading into port; and in practice the skipper would have to spend at least half an hour entering every species of fish and shellfish with its weight into the electronic logbook (DEA), abandoning navigational watch on the bridge in the process.
In short, participants argued, it is entirely unnecessary and illogical to send information that will in any case be obtained shortly afterwards when the boxes are weighed at the fish market, and which is already transmitted both by the guild and from the vessel when the final DEA message is sent.
Equally unnecessary, they said, is the requirement to notify arrival in advance, given that Mediterranean fishing vessels already operate under a mandatory 12-hour schedule and by 5.00 pm the entire fleet is tied up in port.
The president of the Federation announced that starting this Tuesday, consultation forms will be sent out to all fishermen’s guilds to gather proposals for changes to the new control law. If those changes are not made, the sector will move ahead with strike action and mobilisation.
Xàbia Council has also voiced its support, sending a clear and firm message to local fishermen and the Fishermen’s Guild: “We are by your side. We have fought together and we will continue to fight together in the face of the challenges facing the fishing sector and the regulations that shape your day-to-day activity. In Xàbia, we have defended, and will continue to defend, a sector that is part of our identity and our future.”
