«If in 2015 we have a year with constant bans, as in 2014, local fishing with the art of hooking in the Algarve, unique in the country, will end», he said, in a conversation with the Sul Informação, the president of Olhãopesca Miguel Cardoso.
This Monday, the association of shipowners and producers from Olhão publicly warned of the possibility of the extinction of fishing activity with hook art towed by vessel, following the many bans that were imposed on bivalve fishing, on the oceanic coast of the Eastern Algarve, in 2014, namely the ban on collecting shellfish, the main target species of this fishing fleet.
According to Miguel Cardoso, 2014 was an especially hard year for the owners of the 51 Algarve vessels engaged in this type of fishing and for their crews, as there were «constant, interpolated and uncertain bans» on the catch of different species of bivalves, something that «has not happened before».
A situation that caused those who are dedicated to the activity to spend a lot of time idle. “It was about five months lost. The shellfish was banned for two months in a row, during the summer, when it sells more, not to mention other shorter periods throughout the year», illustrated Miguel Cardoso.
The taking of a public position follows a new ban on collecting shellfish. In this case, the ban comes after about a month of fishing permits, a situation that has led to despair by shipowners, who «even have difficulty in finding masters and crew for the vessels, due to the uncertainty».
Miguel Cardoso: “Like all artisanal fishing, in this activity you earn a week. If there is no activity, neither the owner nor the crew, they earn money"
The Algarve association demands that the authorities explain, in a straightforward manner, what led to the collection of bivalves, namely the shellfish, which was banned for so long last year, and whether it was a "one-off situation" or if it is any longer thing concerned. "I think it's time to tell us exactly what's going on," said Miguel Cardoso.
“IPMA technicians tell us, verbally, that they don't know very well why this is happening. They say it will have to do with weather conditions», he said. Justification that does not convince the shipowners and the association that represents them, who find it strange that there is such a marked difference from one year to the other. «Don't hit the boot with the perdigota», he summarizes.
Even because, he guaranteed, this is "a duly regulated and organized activity, has working hours, daily catch limits per vessel and a 45-day closure." “We have made an investment to make this activity, which brought good economic returns and created jobs, increasingly sustainable. Now, we want to know if it pays to continue this effort,” said Miguel Cardoso.
The State and the European Union are also contributing to this effort, through the support they give to a project that aims to “equip the fifty-one fishing units in the eastern Algarve with real-time tracking equipment for 3 years. information will serve for scientific purposes destined to the Portuguese Institute of the Sea and the Atmosphere, which is an obligation imposed by the Portuguese State».
This 120 thousand euros project is being co-financed by the EU and the Portuguese State, under the Promar programme.
While waiting for answers, Olhãopesca draws a dark panorama and predicts “the bankruptcy of fishing vessels with hooks”, if nothing changes.
«Like all artisanal fishing, this activity is earned by the week. If there is no activity, neither the shipowner nor the crew earn money. See what it's like to have fishing banned for more than a month, without ever knowing what it will be like tomorrow?” asked Miguel Cardoso.
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