Artisanal fishermen from Chile today are organising a “day of action,” including demonstrations and roadblocks in several towns to demand the repeal of the Fisheries Act.
Industry spokespeople qualify the complaints being developed in the country as successful, “with massive attendance of artisanal fishermen” in the regions of Valparaiso, Biobio, Chiloe and Coquimbo, which they expect to be followed by other regions.
Since early this morning there have been burning tyres in the region of Biobio, in the areas of Playa Negra, on Route 160 (north access to Coronel) and in Colcura (southern access to Lota) apart from taking control of offices of the National Fisheries and Aquaculture Service (SERNAPESCA) in the town of Coronel, Cooperativa.cl reported.
Fishermen’s groups also set up barricades in the area of ??Caleta Portales in Valparaiso, where agents of the Special Police Forces had to act.
Hernan Cortes, president of FENASPAR Chile, told Cooperativa that the complaint demands “that once and for all the President, in this last stretch of Government, must fulfill the request of artisanal fisheries. They also claim that she should override this law and avoid trying to lie to us with the issue of FAO”.
With regard to FAO’s report on the Fisheries Act delivered to President Michelle Bachelet, Cortes said that the agency has made “some recommendations that, in fact, do not go to the bottom of the problem and do not address the concerns of artisanal fisheries such as the installation of the social platform, the return of fish to all Chileans and cutting the privileges of the industrial lords.”
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