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5-mile protection will benefit more than 50,000 fishermen

5-mile protection will benefit more than 50,000 fishermen

In the 1990s, silverside, sole and crab were some of the species that were abundant on the shores of Los Yuyos beach, in Ravineaccording to Jonathan Yataco, president of the San Pedro de la Costa Verde Association of Artisanal Fishermen.

“All our lives we have had so much fish that in two or three hours (of work) you would go home. Here I have spent my best years”, he comments with longing.

It is 7 am on a Monday in April, and we enter the sea, two kilometers from the shore, to verify what the artisanal fishermen tell us with alarm and concern: there are no fish and what little they find takes a long time to catch. Jonathan casts a gillnet 150 meters long by 3 meters wide. After dealing with the tide for about 40 minutes, he retrieves the net and has not managed to catch a single fish.

The fishermen point out that in this area, which is called La Pampa, they sometimes repeat this process up to 10 times without finding anything; then they change to other beaches or also choose to fish at night.

For them, the scarcity of fish is due to different factors, but above all to the fact that medium-scale boats enter to fish with gear or mechanical tackle, which have greater fishing power and literally destroy everything. Proof of this is that debris detached from the seabed reaches the shore, according to diver Edwin Yrupaylla, who also accompanies us that morning.

  Sobuzo.  “Under the sea it was like a paradise,” recalls Edwin.  Photo: Félix Contreras/La República

Sobuzo. “Under the sea it was like a paradise,” recalls Edwin. Photo: Félix Contreras/La República

“These beaches throw away everything that is no longer part of the sea, what is already separated throws it towards the shore. For example, right now on the beach of Los Pavos you will find that it is full of plums, which is a type of shellfish that is attached to the stones; they begin to beach algae with egg cups. We say to ourselves: ‘What’s going on here?’ It even makes you want to cry because this is supposed to be the continuation of the species”, says Yrupaylla.

The depredation and overexploitation of marine resources, especially in the first five miles, has been causing damage that could soon be irreparable, but there is a proposal in the Congress of the Republic that could change the future of this activity that is the main responsible to bring resources to the table of Peruvian families throughout the year.

Consensus sought

By 2021, in Peru there are some 55,000 artisanal fishermen, according to the Ministry of Production (Produce), who are the ones who would benefit from the approval of the legislative initiative that seeks to protect the five miles.

The ruling, which was already approved in the first vote on March 29, brings together 7 legislative proposals from the Avanza País, Alianza para el Progreso, Somos Perú, Fuerza Popular and Perú Libre benches. Despite having a multiparty origin, it did not get the necessary votes in the second vote, but today or Thursday it will be voted on again, since it is on the agenda of Congress.

In addition, the president of the Production Commission, Esdras Medina, sent a letter on Tuesday to the head of Congress, José Williams, so that it be considered urgently in the next plenary session.

in dialogue with The Republic, legislators Medina (We are Peru) and Issac Mita (Peru Libre) reaffirmed their support for the initiative. On the other side, Roberto Sánchez (Together for Peru), who voted in favor twice, indicated that he will re-evaluate the proposal in a meeting with his bench. “Since we have had discrepancies, I am going to listen to all the elements so that we can make a decision as a bench,” he said.

It should be noted that only a simple majority is required in plenary for this proposal to finally be promulgated if the Executive does not observe it within the 15 days it has; However, as has already been evidenced, the Fujimori bench does not have much sympathy with the norm and uses arguments from the industry to cross it out. Only Víctor Flores and Cruz María Zeta, from Fuerza Popular, had dissenting votes.

In this context, it is worth highlighting the request of the artisanal fisherman from Barranco, Mario Flores: “This law must be approved and we hope that the congressmen of all the benches vote together and that they are not doing the distribution in favor of the large fishing companies.”

A sea of ​​benefits with a new law

The update of the general fishing law will also allow Produce, based on recommendations from Imarpe, to establish a differentiated treatment in certain areas.

“It may be that there is a rocky area or a very shallow area, an outcrop area or species recruitment places in which different management conditions are established; It’s a more micro ordering within 5 miles.” specified Bruno Monteferri, director of Marine Governance of the SPDA.

He added that it has been proposed that medium-scale vessels can only operate from mile 3 outwards.

Fishermen hope that Congress will pass the law that protects the 5 miles.  Photo: diffusion

Fishermen hope that Congress will pass the law that protects the 5 miles. Photo: diffusion

The word

Esdras Medina, pdte. of the Production Commission

“It is up to me to approach the Board of Directors and demand that they put the second ballot. I’m going to do it, officially as well as personally. Fishermen have waited a long time for this law.”

Source: Larepublica

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