Chilean police have clashed with fishermen in the southern city of Lebu during a demonstration against the government’s new fishing quotas.
The police fired tear gas against the protesters to disperse the crowd, who had blocked a highway leading into the port city of Lebu. The protesters also threw stones at the offices of local government officials.
Several people including five police officers were injured in the scuffles and nearly two dozen protesters were arrested.
The protest came after the Chilean government imposed a new law, called the Fisheries Act, which limits the amount of fish they are allowed to harvest every year.
Fishing is the main occupation in the city and the new law sets the annual harvest limit to just 3,000 tons from the current level of 20,000 tons.
Fisherman David Tapia said the government is initiating things and telling us that they are giving us a quota that will only last for three months (fishing quota).
The quotas are full and we cannot work.
Opponents to the new quotas believe the current situation stems from the government’s incapability to manage fishing issues properly.
Hernan Vicencio, head of the Federation of Fishermen of Lebu, said the protest is the consequence of a very bad fishing administration on the part of the government, a stubborn government that does not know how to manage fishing issues.
2012 Press TV