SANTA CRUZ DE TENERIFE, 9th August (EUROPA PRESS) –
The Minister of Agriculture, Livestock, Fisheries and Food Sovereignty of the Government of the Canary Islands, Narvay Quintero, held a meeting this Friday with representatives of the Brotherhood of Our Lady of La Luz and the Regional Federation of Brotherhoods of the Canary Islands on San Juan beach in the municipality of Guía de Isora (Tenerife). During the meeting, he expressed his commitment to request the Government of Spain to allow the small pelagic purse seine fishing fleet in the southern part of the island access to aid for the temporary halt of fishing activities.
According to a press release from the Canary Islands Fisheries Department, this request will be made in response to the decline in species such as mackerel and horse mackerel in Canary waters. Fishermen themselves have highlighted to Quintero and the Director General of Fisheries, Esteban Reyes, the “drastic decrease” in the catches of these species in recent years, attributing it to their migration to other areas.
As a result, fishermen and shipowners are facing a critical situation that jeopardises the economic sustainability of their operations. Therefore, after assessing the situation with all stakeholders, Quintero also pledged to thoroughly explore the potential implementation of measures to alleviate the income loss experienced by this sector.
