The fishermen of Ibiza and Formentera have confirmed their adhesion to the national strike called for this Monday and Tuesday, as a protest measure against the quotas proposed by the European Union, which would restrict fishing in the Mediterranean to only 27 days a year. This regulation, currently under discussion in the European Council of Ministers, has generated widespread rejection in the fishing sector of the islands. During the strike days, the trawlers of the Pitiusas will not go out to fish. In addition, the fishermen will stage their discontent with a concentration in front of the Fishermen’s Guilds of the islands this Monday at 10:00 am.
In parallel, delegations from the Pitiusas Islands will participate in the demonstration organized in Palma, as well as in the protests planned in Madrid and Brussels, where the report proposing regulatory changes in the sector will be discussed.
Reactions from the Pitiusan fishing sector
The president of the Fishermen’s Guild of Ibiza, Antoni Tur, in dialogue with Radio Ibiza, has pointed out that the proposed regulations do not take into account the local reality or the impact they generate on the economy of the islands. “Europe imposes regulations without knowing the reality of fishing in Ibiza and without taking into account all the industries behind the fishing sector,” he said. For his part, the president of the Fishermen’s Guild of Formentera, Ivan Perez, has described the EU proposal as a real “massacre” for the sector, already hit by multiple restrictions. Perez warned that if local boats cannot operate, “foreigners will come to meet that demand”, which will further aggravate the situation of fishermen in the Pitiusas.
A reduced and endangered fleet
Currently, trawling in the Pitiusas is limited to four boats, two in Ibiza and two in Formentera, whose activity is crucial for the local economy and the supply of seafood. The fishermen insist that the restrictions not only affect their survival, but also related industries, such as hotels and commerce.
The future of the industry at stake
The report being discussed this week at the European Council of Ministers proposes to drastically reduce fishing days in the Mediterranean, a measure that fishermen consider unsustainable. From the Pitiusas, the fishing sector hopes that the mobilizations contribute to stop a regulation that threatens to dismantle an activity that is part of the economic and cultural heritage of the islands.
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