Brotherhoods and Ministry Unite on Firm Stance to Fight in Brussels

The fishing guilds from across the country gathered at the Ministry with the General Fisheries Secretariat on Monday afternoon.

During the afternoon, fishing guilds from the entire state met in Madrid with the General Fisheries Secretariat to seek solutions to the new European legislation that threatens the survival of artisanal fishing as it is practiced on the islands.

The meeting is seen as essential for defending the interests of the Canary artisanal fishing fleet, with all the archipelago’s guilds represented and demanding justice for their claims.

Advance‑notice issue
One of the most pressing concerns – the advance‑notice requirement – will be simplified, according to institutional sources:

“It will only be required that the decision to head for port be communicated, whether the vessel is a few minutes or up to two hours away from arrival.”

Furthermore, it was noted that

“If new catches are made on the way to port, nothing will change; the catch will be recorded and no additional notification will be needed,”

excluding exceptional advance notices such as those for Red Tuna.

Haul‑by‑haul recording
Regarding the “haul‑by‑haul” recording mandated by the new rule, officials explained that it will be sufficient to make a single entry once a day before entering port.

Tolerance Margin
Another point of discussion, which saw progress, was the so‑called Tolerance Margin. For now, it will be communicated to the Inspection Service as follows:

• No margin applies to the first 50 kg (subject to estimation).
• Between 50 kg and 100 kg, a 20 % margin will apply.
• Above 100 kg, the margin will be reduced to 10 %.

Commitment from the MinistryRepresentatives of the Ministry and the General Fisheries Secretariat pledged to launch swift actions to amend the most concerning aspects of the European control regulation and to pursue a deeper revision of the overall framework.