In the complex jargon of community politics, the decision taken this week by Brussels –the closure to any bottom fishing gear over 16,400 square kilometers– It is called an “execution act”. For the European Commission, it does not have the meaning of lethality that the entire industry confers on it, because what it does is to send to the gallows a good part of the Galician fleet of Gran Sol. And, while waiting to know the articles of the regulation –this Friday it had not been published either–, with the potential to liquidate more than a thousand fishing boats from the community, as Faro de Vigo published this Friday. An “execution act” with medieval forms, according to the story exposed in the sector and administrations: “a consultation paripé, without transparency”, summary. No lawyers, no evidence, no information. Because the ICES report (International Council for the Exploration of the SeaICES in Spanish) on which the Fisheries Commission relied explicitly recognizes that do not have information on the economic impact of a measure of these characteristics. Hack that was also approved.
“The adoption of something of these characteristics requires three assessments: environmental, economic and social”, recalls the president of the Vigo Port Authority, Jesús Vázquez Almuiña. Here it has not been produced, as the document itself admits, of 248 pages. In one of them, and making express reference to the “Gulf of Biscay and the Iberian coast”, he admits that the data is incomplete. He does it this way, verbatim: “The circumstances of the VME (Vulnerable Marine Ecosystems, vulnerable marine ecosystems): data is incomplete. This can be improved by training observers.” Even so, without scientific or socioeconomic references, he continues: “The Commission will review VME closures annually as new information becomes available.”. And ditch like this: “It is difficult to determine a preference, since the socioeconomic impacts are unknown. Some fisheries go to some places on a regular basis, and they may be important to them, although the effort is not very high.” These are the members of the “execution act” of the Fisheries Commission commanded by Virginijus Sinkevicius (commissioner) and his number two, Charlina Vitcheva.
“It is difficult to determine a preference, since the socioeconomic impacts are unknown,” says the official text
Even so, in a written response signed by the former on the 12th of this month, the former assured that the veto to bottom fishing had been decided with the determination to “minimize the socioeconomic impact”. In those more than 16,000 square kilometers, the closures affect vessels equipped with bottom trawls, dredgers, bottom gillnets, bottom longlines, pots and traps. It is not yet known if the ban will affect any fishing gear that touches the seabed, even if it does not reach a depth of 400 metres. In this case, some 900 Galician artisanal fishing vessels or minor gear, whether trawling or fixed, would be in the pillory.
The unanimous cry
Central, autonomous government, shipowners, MEPs… The angry response to the reverse of Brussels has been unanimous. “We are very worried because we did not expect it”, summarized the president of the Xunta, Alfonso Rueda, “It is not true that this type of fishing destroys ecosystems”. “We shoot ourselves in our own feet, this is not the European Union that calls for dialogue,” shared the president of the Vigo Port Authority, Jesús Vázquez Almuiña. “They lead us to an irreparable loss.” The lack of scientific data to support this measure is a criticism shared by Galician MEPs from the PP, PSOE and BNG, Francisco Millán Mon, Nicolás González Casares and Ana Miranda, respectively. The popular and the nationalist have already requested the urgent appearance of the Lithuanian commissioner, in addition to the withdrawal of the “execution act”. “The Common Fisheries Policy of the UE cannot become a machine for making eurosceptics in coastal communities”Millán Mon abounded.
“If before we were facing a perfect storm, after the pandemic, with the increase in fuel prices, and other problems, now the perfect storm is multiplied by four”, condemned the president of the Vigo Shipowners Cooperative (ARVI), Javier Touza. A devastating cry that was also shared yesterday from the French industry. “The consequences are dramatic for European fishing, it is a measure that violates the basic rules of consultation and public debate.” As disclosed in a statement, the future of 20,000 jobs in French ports is at stake.