MAYOR MEETS WITH REGIONAL GOVERNMENT OVER FISHING CONCERNS
Mayor joins with fishing sector to put forward arguments against proposed ban on traditional fishing methods
In the face of a potential ban on a traditional fishing method used by Xàbia’s fishing fleet, mayor José Chulvi has met with the general director of Fisheries, Roger Llanes, and the deputy director, Paco Beltrán, to express the Council’s concerns over the proposed Ministry Order which will affect the town’s fishing sector.
The meeting, held in the offices of the Cofradía de Pescadores, served to put on the table the concerns of the local fishermen before the decree is implemented that will declare practically the entire bay a protected space and that, initially, prohibits minor traditional fishing methods such as “tresmall”. The regional government has assured the president of the brotherhood, Moisés Erades, that they will defend the compatibility of these traditional methods in this new regulation as well as enforce their powers in the management of internal waters.
Autonomous officials have been able to see first-hand other problems faced by fishing sector from poaching to the great growth of nautical sports and the boom in active tourism that makes it very difficult for them to fish in part of the bay during certain months.
Another issue that has been addressed is how to more effectively ensure the protection of the oceanic Posidonia meadows, a concern for Xàbia Council due to the great pressure from nautical sports tourism on the coast. In this sense, Chulvi has insisted on the need to regulate anchorages and that the municipality can have the capacity to fine those boats which do not respect the prohibition which bans the dropping of anchors in protected areas.
Representatives from the fishing sector pointed out that all areas occupied by the seagrasses are protected by the Fishing Law of the Valencian Community of 2017 and it is important that residents and visitors alike know the sanctions they face if they carry out prohibited activities in these meadows such as anchoring or recreational fishing. In this regard, they have announced that for next summer they will prepare informative actions and coordinate surveillance campaigns with the Guardia Civil.
Finally, the regional authorities have been able to check the latest investments of their department in the fish market, which has seen its roof and its exterior arches renewed.
