Fishermen come to Congress to demand approval of a law that protects the 5 miles

This Tuesday, April 11, artisanal fishermen from six regions of the country appeared in the Congress of the Republic to demand the approval of the proposal that recognizes the activity they carry out and encourages its preservation within five nautical miles. The opinion, which groups a total of seven legislative proposals from different benches, has been approved in the first vote, so it is expected that this Thursday the 13th it will be given priority in plenary for the second vote.

“The five miles is the place where the great reproductive processes of many hydrobiological species are generated, so with this law, care will be taken that seine vessels do not enter to fish, which drag and spoil the marine ecosystem, cutting the reproductive cycle of the species. That’s what you don’t want, if the law is not approved and this type of vessel continues to enter within five miles [los pescadores artesanales] we are doomed to disappear“, explained Juan Moina Lerma, president of the Federation of Shipped and Non-Ship Artisanal Fishermen of Tacna, to The Republic.

The seamen from Tacna, Moquegua, Arequipa, Piura, Áncash and Lima were received by the president of the Production Commission, Esdras Medina, who listened to the reasons why they were in the capital. The congressman took note and promised to transmit this message to his colleagues in such a way that a consensus is generated in favor of the norm.

Within the main changes that this proposal brings, it differentiates artisanal and ancestral fishermen from medium-scale ones, They have greater fishing capacity and use other gear and gear to extract non-selective resources. In addition, the protection of the five miles along the entire coastline will be reconfirmed to prevent “windows” from being opened to industrial fishing.

It is important to specify that the fishermen are representatives of the following unions: Regional Federation of Artisanal Fishermen of Tacna, Single Union of Artisanal Fishermen and Civil Divers of Ilo (Moquegua), Regional Federation of Artisanal Fishermen of Arequipa, Union of Artisanal Fishermen of Chala ( Arequipa), Association of Artisanal Shipowners of Matarani, Mollendo (Arequipa), Network for Sustainable Artisanal Fishing of Norte Chico (Lima), Association of Artisanal Fishermen “San Pedro” of the Costa Verde (Lima), Association of Pinteros and Shellfish Fishermen of Santa Rosa (Lima), Union of Artisanal Fishermen “El Toril” (Paita, Piura) and Federation of Artisanal Fishermen of the Ancash Region.