After years of asking for an increase in the sardine quota, the purse seine vessel owners may have a problem with too many fish this year. From Monday until 31 July, they can be fished in Portugal 6300 tons of this species, a considerable increase compared to last year, a quantity that, for the Producer Organizations OlhãoPesca and BarlaPescas, may be too high and lead to an abrupt drop in the price.
In statements to the Sul Informação, both Miguel Cardoso, from OlhãoPescas, and Mário Galhardo, from Barlapescas, were concerned about the campaign that has just begun. And it's Covid-19's fault.
“We are happy and proud that the possibility of fishing is increasing. What the sector had been saying for about a year or two is being confirmed by the IPMA and certified – the resource has increased exponentially and we have sardines on the coast», begins by saying Miguel Cardoso.
“But what worries us now is the sale of sardines. Fishing possibilities have increased for these first two months and will most likely increase again in August. We risk no longer having a problem of scarcity, to start having a problem of abundance», added the president of OlhãoPesca.
This increase in the fishing quota coincides with the Covid-19 pandemic, during which major events are prohibited, namely the Popular Saints festivities and thematic festivals - such as the one in Portimão -, and the activity of the restaurants, at least for now.
“Last year, with a little less fishing capacity and in a completely normal period, with tourism on the rise, we had some problems with fresh outlets. Some producer organizations had to take extra measures to regulate the supply, because the price dropped a lot», explained Miguel Cardoso.
"This year, with the exceptional situation that we are going through, with the retraction of tourism, hotels and so on, by increasing the possibility of fishing, this will still bring us greater problems," said the association leader.
As explained to the Sul Informação Mário Galhardo, who says he "shares the concerns" of Miguel Cardoso, the sardine caught by Algarve boats "is intended to be sold for fresh consumption, mainly in restaurants". In the North of the country, where there is a lot of industry, the siege fleet has alternatives to play with.
Here, enter the daily limits for the capture of sardines, which have also increased.
“In our opinion, and this is a sentiment shared by other producer organizations, not all, the daily limits are excessively high. Since the 1st, the boats can capture 3740 kilos per day, which is a lot», considered Miguel Cardoso.
“This will lead to problems with the price, which will drop sharply. Some of our colleagues, particularly in the North, do not think so. They prefer to start at the top and then adjust the offer. Because we defend that it should be the other way around: start at the bottom and progressively increase the daily limit of capture», suggested the president of OlhãoPesca.
Mário Galhardo, on the other hand, does not agree with the reduction of the daily capture limit.
«I think this is not a solution. After six months without anyone going fishing, imposing limits is very complicated, because people were not earning and want to work», illustrated the president of Barlapescas.
Thus, as this association leader has already conveyed to the office of the Secretary of State for Fisheries, the Algarve José Apolinário, the Government should "collaborate with the processing companies and processing plants, in order to achieve a balance and reach a consensus on a minimum price'.
Despite admitting that «imposing daily prices is difficult», Mário Galhardo believes that, if the Government is involved, a minimum value for a kilo of sardines, namely one euro, can be stipulated in sales to the industry.
“At at least one euro a day, it would be 3740 euros a day, per boat. At the end of a week it will be more than 20 thousand euros. This is enough to pay for fuel, Social Security and for men to earn some money», he concluded.
This would also eventually regulate the value of the auction sale. “I don't want to sell sardines for 30 cents and then people will complain that, in the square, it's six or seven euros a kilo”.
The Algarve shipowners are concerned about the increase in the possibility of fishing for sardines, but the Federation of Fisheries Sector Unions (FSSP) takes the opposite view and demanded from the Government an increase in the quota of this species, already in 2020, in order to guarantee “the social and economic sustainability of the sector”.
The union members even point to a number and demand "that the quota for 2020 is 30 thousand tons", arguing that this is a "sustainable" value.
On the Government's side, there is a guarantee that the increase in the quota is more than a possibility, it is even a probability.
"Right now, we are evaluating the data collected during the acoustic cruises that were made, in order to define the quota for the 2020/21 season, already with the new information", he told the Sul Informação, Ricardo Serrão Santos, Minister of the Sea, who confirms that the prospect is that there will be an increase in the quota "already this summer, taking into account that the campaign starts on 1 August".
“We are not going to venture to shoot a number. Now in June we will have the assessment, which will itself have to be accredited internationally – these are procedures that give security to the assessments and management of fisheries», announced the member of the Government.
Then, the Ministry of the Sea will discuss the issue with the European Union and "go for whatever the sea can offer us".
Guarantees that for the Producer Organizations, which represent the boats that take the fish from the sea, are not reassuring. “It's a worrying situation. But let's see how things go», concluded Miguel Cardoso.
Help us to do the Sul Informação!
Contribute your donation so that we can continue to make your journal!
Click here to support us (Paypal)
Or use our IBAN PT50 0018 0003 38929600020 44
Comments