The nurseries and shellfish gatherers of Ria Formosa “require support” from the Government to remove materials that are not permitted from the shellfish areas, made mandatory by a recently published public notice. The Union of Fisheries Workers of the South wants the Government to suspend the application of the notice and reformulate "the strategy for the achievement of the objectives that it entails".
This involves, according to union members, the provision of “public support for the transport of materials that will be removed and for the acquisition of new ones that will replace them”. The establishment of "an adequate calendar compatible with the seafood activity" is also required.
«It is not disputed, of course, the need to replace these materials with others that are deemed more adequate to maintain the quality of the water. However, this procedure cannot solely blame those who have taken care of the Ria over the years, threatening them, once again, with fines that can range from 10 thousand to 144 thousand euros», framed the union.
It is because, say the unionists, «over the last few years, the shellfish gatherers and nurserymen have played a fundamental role in maintaining the quality of the water in the Ria Formosa. If there is pollution, this is due to other factors, namely the lack of investment in dredging and water treatment so often claimed. Shellfish gatherers and nurserymen are primarily interested in preserving the Ria Formosa, as their own activity depends on the quality of these same waters».
“Over the years, shellfish gatherers and nurserymen have been faced with successive initiatives aimed at limiting their right to live and produce in the Ria Formosa. On all these occasions, it was their struggle and their unity that allowed them to defend their interests. This is also the attitude that is now imposed», concluded the union.
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