We were a poor country, with a hardworking people, who took advantage of everything they could. Families planted their gardens, gathered fruit, fished, rode bicycles, talked.
Today in Portugal we have one of the best environments for fishing, a huge maritime Economic Zone, with a great variety of marine species. We also have unique conditions in the EU for aquaculture, whether in rias, by the sea or offshore.
The fish industry died, as it was preserved with salt or similar, instead of freezing. Fish caught off the coasts of the Center-South are great for filleting and freezing or smoke, for greater durability. They are the most desired processes in Northern Europe today, as they avoid preservatives, emuldors, etc.
The most valuable are semi-industrialized or semi-craft, who need the authorization of the EU to avoid the rigid rules dictated by the cartel. It is up to fishing cooperatives to request and the Ministry of Agriculture to expedite approval in Brussels.
Smoking fish requires little investment, even the vacuum packaging machine is not expensive; already the freezing line requires some. There are many of these newlyabandoned in Northern Europe, which, with limited investment, can be upgraded. With our 3000 h/year of sunshine, you must install the refrigeration unit you use painéis solares and reduces the cost of electricity to almost zero.
This industry, in addition to bringing greater income to the fisherman, offers employment to his wife and children in the village or town, so that they do not need to go to work in the capitals. There must be a central, to make international transport cheaper. Cooperatives sell directly to industrial canteens and catering in cities with air routes from Beja and Faro.
Let's use another 30 in fishing, with almost no investments. YES WE CAN – TOGETHER!
Jack Soifer he is an international consultant and author of the books "How to get out of the Crisis", "Empreender Turismo de Natureza", "Portugal Rural", "Algarve/Alentejo – My Love" and "Portugal Pós-Troika".
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