The training of fishermen in the Algarve is "stagnant", although there are many interested in taking a course in this area, denounced Quarpesca – Association of Fishermen Shipowners of Quarteira.
The organization said that it suggested “the carrying out of three training actions at our facilities this year, as we have 47 registered for the fisherman course alone, to which we were told that all training at the For-Mar de Olhão hub is stagnant. due to lack of funds, similarly to what happens all over the country».
A situation that aggravates what Quarpesca points out as “one of the most serious problems affecting the fishing sector in Portugal”: the lack of manpower.
"It has been a complicated mission to attract young people to work in a sector that adds problems year after year (fishing quotas limit profits, adverse weather conditions, high bureaucracy, lack of a strategy for investing in the sector, etc.)", according to the association.
Even so, in recent years there has been “a growing demand for training, especially for the Fisherman's course”, a phenomenon that, for Quarpesca, may be associated with the crisis.
“Quartesca has collaborated with For-Mar for many years in the dissemination and realization of these courses, and we have noticed a decrease in the offer of training for two years now, in contrast to the growing demand,” he added.
Taking this situation into account, the association from Quarteira leaves a question: “how can we captivate young people for an activity that is not very appealing in itself, if we fail in the most elementary measure, which is the strong commitment to training fishermen?”.
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