SANTA CRUZ DE TENERIFE, 17 May. (EUROPE PRESS) –
The Minister of Agriculture, Livestock and Fisheries of the Cabildo de Tenerife, Javier Parrilla, presented today Tuesday the promotional campaign ‘Eat from the sea, eat the world’, with which it is intended to promote the consumption of zero kilometer fishery products in university dining rooms and senior colleges.
Javier Parrilla explained that this initiative, which is carried out in collaboration with the University of La Laguna (ULL), is part of the strategy of promotion and valorization of local fishery products maintained by the Island Corporation, as well as the promotion of the brand collective Artisanal Fishing, which guarantees the quality and traceability of the products and the sustainability of the methods used.
“The fish that is served in the dining rooms is imported and comes from industrial fishing, which is why we need to continue promoting what is ours every day, because consuming local products helps to reduce the carbon footprint, to boost the local economy and sustainability, since many families can live with dignity from what they do,” said the counselor.
The campaign will be held from May 23 to 27 and will consist of the distribution of a free menu in various university cafeterias such as the Guajara Lecture Hall (Monday 23), the Faculty of Economics, Business and Tourism (Tuesday 24), the Faculties of Pharmacy and Sciences (Wednesday 25), Higher School of Engineering and Technology (Thursday 26) and the halls of residence of San Fernando and Santa María (Friday 27). The tuna will be the star of the menu for which it will be necessary to purchase a voucher through the link https://pescatenerife.com/comedelmar.
The participants will have to answer a survey on the consumption of fish in the canteens. In addition, they will have access to information on the benefits of zero kilometer fishery products, the sanitary controls to which they are subjected and the importance of this activity for the island’s economy. After the event, the participants will be able to respond to a second survey on the development of the event and the result of the tasting and a gift will be raffled to encourage participation.
Javier Parrilla also recalled that this year they have increased the budget allocated to the fishing sector by 13 percent and that the Island Corporation will allocate 210,000 euros in direct aid to fishermen’s associations, as well as subsidies to support the marketing of tuna and the revitalization and valorization of fishery products under the collective brand Pesca Artesanal. In this sense, he highlighted that artisanal fishing in Tenerife keeps some 200 boats operational, in which more than 650 people work directly.
For his part, the vice-rector for Culture and Social Participation of the University of La Laguna, Juan Albino Méndez Pérez, valued the “wealth” that the Canary Islands harbor, hence the importance “of continuing to promote this sector”, because “it is not conceivable that being islands and having a resource as important as the marine sector, part of that potential is lost or not used properly”.
This campaign has the collaboration of the Canarian actor and comedian Aarón Gómez, who will star in several promotional videos. During the presentation, Aarón Gómez commented that he has tried to combine comedy with more instructive and didactic content, “because I know from experience that these messages on the Internet are not very interesting.” “In the end, it’s about trying to highlight that message and generate that click, so that when you’re in a supermarket you ask where it comes from and bet on local fish products,” he added.
In parallel, a video contest on local fish recipes will be developed in which people from the university community and from outside it will be able to participate. The contest will open in the next few days and will remain open until September.
In addition, an exhibition module will be set up in one of the Guajara faculties on artisanal fishing and the consumption of local fish carried out by the Cabildo in collaboration with the University Institute for Social Research and Tourism (ISTUR).
Lastly, also within the framework of this campaign, last Friday, May 13, the chef specializing in blue fish, Juan Carlos Clemente, from the Association of Cooks and Pastry Chefs (ACYRE), gave a master class on the preparation of local tuna at the Faculty of Economics.
In addition to ISTUR and ACYRE, the companies Fantastic Fulanito and Islatuna also collaborate in this campaign.
The United Nations General Assembly declared 2022 as the International Year of Artisanal Fisheries and Aquaculture, a commemoration that aims to generate a global momentum to empower these sectors and ensure a sustainable future.
