A group of artisanal fishermen from Caleta de Quintay, Valparaiso Region, Chile, was allocated a project funded by the regional government (GORE), the Fisheries Administration Fund (FAP) and the Development Fund for Artisanal Fisheries (FFPA) to export live limpet to Japan and the United States.
Caleta Quintay union president, Jose Barrios, explained the initiative aims to conduct a study that would determine how long and under what conditions the limpet can survive out of water.
“We have had this concern for a long while in order to perform live limpet exports to Japan and the United States, as these markets are offering very good price for fresh products,” added the union leader.
“Therefore, we approached professionals from Andrés Bello University and asked them to consider the possibility of working together and now this is taking place,” he added.
For his part, the head of the Undersecretariat of Fisheries and Aquaculture (Subpesca), Pablo Galilea, praised the innovative projects that will benefit artisanal fishing in this Chilean region.
“One of the goals of this administration is that artisanal fishermen are not only engaged in the capture, but also in generating business and services related to fishing in order to improve their quality of life and their income,” pointed out Barrios.
The initiative of the fishermen from Quintay responds “to a need on the part of fishermen to diversify their range of products.”
Today, limpet is exported as a frozen product from Quintay, and urchins and loco specimens are distributed in the country, Fotoquinta reported.
“If we can establish a process to be able to send the products ourselves to these destinations, the 87 fishermen in the cove will be greatly benefited,” added Barrios.
In the country 10 species of limpets are caught by divers and shore collectors.
While there are no bans for this resource, the authorities established regulatory measures as a minimum legal capture size and recommended quotas and Exploitation and Management Areas for Benthic Resources.
This initiative is part of 17 projects that will benefit artisanal fishing in Valparaíso Region in areas of production improvement and diversification, for a total amount of about CLP 342.1 million (USD 724,700).
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