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Murcia fishermen to strike as EU rules branded “unworkable”
Fresh fish markets to close while fleet protests new catch controls and threat of €5,000 fines
Fishermen across the Region of Murcia are planning to tie up their boats and shut the markets today in protest of new EU catch-control rules that they say are simply impossible to follow. Fresh fish supplies will be hit for the day, with strikes and a midday demonstration called at the fish market in the Port of Mazarrón.At the heart of the dispute are changes that came into force on Friday January 9, including a tighter Electronic Logbook system that requires skippers to log all species and weights at sea, and to warn authorities four hours before arriving in port. Fishermen argue that guaranteeing a four-hour notice window is unrealistic in bad weather or rough seas, when safety demands that they get back to harbour as quickly as possible. They also point to malfunctioning scales on board and extra bureaucracy at sea as major practical problems.
Another flashpoint is the drop in the minimum declared catch weight from 50 kilos to just one gram. From now on, every single catch must be recorded, however small. Alongside this, vessels between 12 and 15 metres in length must carry mandatory geolocation equipment. For many in the sector, these combined demands are “unfeasible” and they are particularly alarmed by fines of up to 5,000 euros for any breach.
Today, fish markets in San Pedro, Cartagena, Mazarrón and Águilas will remain closed, on what is normally a key day for fresh fish distribution. The Murcian Federation of Fishermen’s Guilds has confirmed that the region’s fleet will join the wider Mediterranean strike, warning that without changes, an indefinite stoppage is on the table. The protest comes just a month after the sector secured only 143 fishing days for Mediterranean trawlers in Brussels, following years of cuts.
There is, however, a possibility of dialogue. This afternoon at 4.00pm, the National Federation of Fishermen’s Guilds is due to meet Isabel Artime, Secretary General of Fisheries at the Ministry of Agriculture, in Madrid to discuss how the European regulation is being rolled out in Spanish ports.
Bartolomé Navarro, president of the Murcian Federation and head of the Cartagena guild, will attend as the region’s fleet looks for a way to keep working without, in their view, being sunk by red tape.
Image: Nico Oberon/Pixabay
