Málaga’s fresh fish markets were left without product last week as furious fishermen dumped 5,000 kilograms of fish on the N-340 road running from Málaga to Cádiz in protest of new European Union regulations regarding the packing and transfer of seafood catches from the quayside.
Málaga’s Fishermen’s Association, representing some 400 boats, is disputing the prohibition of the sale of seafood packed in water and chopped ice forming sleet. The EU says the water helps breed microorganisms.
Junta de Andalucía’s Health Delegation said the regulation is obligatory, demanding the sale and transport of catches in perforated boxes, which allow water to escape to avoid potential health problems.
Francisco Pastor, president of the Fishermen’s Association, had said that the boats would remain in port until an alternative way of conserving the catch on the quayside is found. “If nobody is going to buy fish in these conditions, why would we set sail?” he asked.
Following the province-wide protest, fishermen returned to sea after discussing the issue with Margarita Pérez, director general of the Junta’s Fisheries and Aquaculture Board.
Representing the association’s largest patron, María del Carmen Navas confirmed that the fishermen “have no choice” but to meet the requirements under Community Law in order to maintain the fleet without restrictions on catch sales.
José Luis Guerrero, council member of the Fishermen’s Association, emphasized that fishermen will fish “out of desperation” hoping to sell the catch at auction in Málaga, saying “if we cannot sell here we will do it elsewhere.”
During their meeting with the Junta, fishermen agreed to resume their activities and requested the development of a scientific study that guarantees the preservation of fish in sleet. “This study is already being done by fishermen in Barbate (Cádiz), but logically its production and processing will be long, and meanwhile we cannot be waiting without work,” concluded Navas.
