The sailors who fished in Mauritanian fishing grounds until a year ago regret that the meeting with the Spanish Government to discuss the possibility of continuing the aids has not been helpful at all.
Union representatives from that sector met in Madrid with the deputy general manager of Agreements and Regional Fisheries Organizations of the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Environment (Magrama), Carlos Moreno, to address the issue of the aids to the fleet given the impossibility of fishing in these waters.
Those affected are 20 vessels based in Marin and Vigo, and hundreds of crew members and onshore companies that depended on these boats for their livelihood, and now they face an uncertain future, the newspaper La Voz de Galicia reported.
According to Xabier Aboi, a unionist and spokesperson for those affected, there is “no news” after waiting 30 days for the European Union (EU), the Magrama or the Ministry of Maritime Affairs of Galicia to do something.
The Joint Committee between the EU and Mauritania has been convened for them to meet in September so as to track the bilateral fishing agreement. But Aboi believes that the European Fisheries Commissioner, Maria Damanaki, expects to solve only the conflict of the pelagic species, which is concerning to Holland, at the expense of the Spanish cephalopod vessels.
For the members of the Galician fleet, there is a feeling that the EU has a particular grudge against them.
“Damanaki hardly ever mentions the octopus vessels.” added the unionist.
In addition, the vote section in the European Parliament (EP) to decide whether to reject or confirm the existing agreement has no specific date and could be delayed until December.
During the meeting, the crew members asked the authorities of the Magrama to finish off the contact settlements with MEPs.
Since July 2012, when the protocol was signed, the central executive position has been strong and consistent: to reject the pact approved for being impractical and expensive.
Spain objects to the payment of a new annual fee amounting to EUR 70 million to Mauritania and advocates — in all possible ways — for its renegotiation, Magrama reported.
To mitigate the damage caused by poor negotiation in the European Commission (EC) aids were performed due to the temporary cessation directed to operators and crew members for a total amount exceeding EUR 14 million.
So far, public aids amounting to EUR 12 million have been paid to 36 ship owners or those reaching EUR 2 million to 140 crew members.
When being asked what they were recommended at the meeting with the government, Aboi told La Voz de Galicia: “From 1 August, when the aids finish, each of you should go on strike and change their lifestyle.”
The Magrama ensures that it will continue exploring alternative fishing opportunities for the cephalopod and shellfish fleets in other fishing grounds.
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