From 2013 was the year Brussels restricted any kind of flapping., the practice of fin fishing for sharks in the open seas is completely prohibited. At least, this is the case for the community fleet, whose ships have to bring the goods ashore intact and can now be disassembled to facilitate distribution. It is what is known as the measurement of “sticky fins” and was born to be born. protect species such as the blue sharkThe main source of income for hundreds of families in Galicia. The goal is to prevent sharks from falling into their claws, ‘finning’, a practice that consists of hunting sharks, cutting off their fins and returning them to the water in dismembered form.
With this rule in effect for the last ten years, the Galician money line does not understand how an initiative like ‘Stop the money, stop the trade’ could reach the European Parliament Petitions Committee. The same thing that tried to eliminate the shark fin sale in twenty-seven has been swept away by the industry. a new ‘bullshit’ that threatens fishing economy autonomy. Moreover, given that most of the sharks caught from European ships were transported to Vigo, and then – depending on demand – distributed to different parts of the planet.
“Where exactly do you push the market? controlled and fully justified Edelmiro Ulloa, ARVI general manager, states that everything that is done makes no sense and states that “the only fleet that has implemented a layered wing policy against third countries is the community fleet”. “The EC has promised that this standard will be implemented in all Regional Fisheries Management Organizations (RFMOs). that was it China, Japan or Taiwan would also adopt the attached pallet commitment, but it was not fulfilled.”, he recalls, stating that this task “cannot be left fallow.”
The daily routine is for Asian ships to transfer shark fins on the high seas to merchant ships that bypass the EU circuit and travel directly to the eastern continent, so ‘Stop palletizing, stop trading’ is aimed at the Galician long line. “Ridiculous” measure with “fair wages for fishermen”. And according to different sources cited by Faro de Vigo from the Prensa Ibérica group, if this decision is vetoed in Europe, it will cause us to continue to lose in food sovereignty. All this with its consequences. economic impact.
Likewise, they show that all parts they caught from the Vigo Port Shipowners’ Cooperative were used in Galicia, where they represent 95% of the blue shark catches caught. “The size is 65 percent of the total value of what’s marketed,” says Ulloa. undesirable is that they have to export the body along with the fin To be considered legal trade—as environmentalists demand—“Our bodies will go where they need to go with their certification, that’s basically Europe and some of them will go to South America, the fin will go to China, that’s where it’s consumed.”
pride and unity
Given the goal of “Stop Financing, Stop Trading”, “ cessation of Finnish trade in the EU, including imports, exports and transit Other representatives of the Galician long line, such as Juana Parada, Orpagu’s managing director, are wondering why this strain should be sold as a whole and not in parts. “That demand will never end If we cannot close it, it will be closed with less sustainable products” and states that the industry has been keeping up with the development in many ways in recent years.
In your case, don’t heavy investments in ground infrastructure After the introduction of the “pallet attached” measure in 2013 that rendered all the processing machinery their fleet owned useless – they cut and frozen all the blue sharks they caught on board, taking advantage of it. On the other hand, by making its control more efficient, for example by setting up a large number of electronic observers voluntarily.
“What can’t happen is that we have been complying with this regulation for years, we have no other choice, we provide what is necessary, and now they are using the ‘finning’ argument. dir-dir absolutely disproportionatethat doesn’t make sense”, confirms the person in charge of the Long Guard.
As Parada points out, “When Vigo is mentioned as one of the most important ports for the acceptance of such products, it should be said with pride.” “This is exactly where the European Union Fisheries Agency (EFCA) is located, you can control more from anywhere“, he adds.
Juan Carlos Martín, managing director of Opromar, underlines that, for his part, scientific data confirm the “good condition” of the blue shark; this is possible in his eyes, thanks to the inclusion of the Galician longline, which stops “thinking about conservation”. voluntarily fish for species such as hammerhead sharks.
For the Port and representative of the Ría de Marín Fresh Fish Producers Organization, the crux of the matter in addressing the issue is to focus attention on countries that do not meet their ‘finning’ obligations and not proceed. Blaming those who do their homework. “It has always been requested that this tied-fin policy be extended to all other countries that fish in the seas where our fleet fishes, but Asian countries thought that this was not a measure to protect prey. and that’s why they don’t accept it.”
Martín has no doubts about the possible ban on pallet sales. “Obviously it would mean something definitive restructuring of the industry Of course, we will oppose the implementation of such a measure,” said Akıncı, pointing out that the sector should have a unit that “exists but needs to be transferred to the community.” It means shutting down a large part of the fishery that also works with other species like swordfish.”