Chile’s National Fisheries Society (Sonapesca) warns that the strike affecting Angamos port since 26 March could result in the stoppage of the fisheries sector, and have social and economic consequences.
The strike has the support from 10 other Chilean ports.
“A profound harm to workers, businesses and the country is all that has been achieved as a result of this inconvenient port stoppage,” lamented Sonapesca.
“We have hundreds of containers loaded with fish products to be landed and the same number in holds or refrigerated areas, which will end up by stopping the activity in the sector,” the entity added.
Sonapesca conducted a survey of its members to work out the effect of the port strike, and according to the agency, the information collected is “alarming,” Diario Financiero reported.
“We have found out that the boats left before we were able to load the fish products. The capacity of refrigerators has been covered so in a few days the plants should begin to stop their production processes, which is the only measure in this scenario, but it will cause significant social effects,” explained the fishing association.
The Sonapesca executives expressed regret about the possible breach of contracts with some of the companies that provide their products.
“In addition to the strong economic impact workers and businesses are undergoing, should the situation continue and should the breach of contracts take place, there arise the risk of losing some markets that we have worked so hard to gain,” they ensured.
For this reason, Sonapesca calls all those involved “to reconsider and put an end to this strike as soon as possible,” the newspaper La Tercera reported.
On the other hand, in reference to the new Fisheries Act in Chile, the chairman of the organization, Rodrigo Sarquis, said they believe that “it addresses at least three significant aspects.”
First of all, he highlighted that the National Fisheries Council stopped having a decisive character in the proposal and subsequent definition of fishing quotas, and was replaced by 11 Scientific Technical Committees, eight for the fishing area and three for aquaculture.
“Therefore, a stronger character than it has previously had is granted to the scientific world,” he added.
Regarding the artisanal fisheries sector, he believed “there is a number of positive aspects, starting with the new subdivisions.”
“This will mean that this sector represents about 60 per cent of the landings of the country. This is a new reality for the artisanal sector that has been built over the last 20 years, since we can not forget that, in the early ’90s, their volume was less than 5 per cent,” he explained.
Other aspects that are considered positive are the Artisanal Fisheries Development Fund, the exclusive use of the first mile, the maintenance of maximum catch limits and the incorporation of the satellite positioning device.
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