Artisanal fishermen will continue to have the support of international organizations to improve their processes. This was confirmed during the Fisherman’s Day, which is celebrated this week, and during the event, contracts were signed with the World Fund for Nature Protection – WWF (World Wide Fund for Nature, acronym in English) and WildAid. continue to provide support and technical assistance to strengthen fishing communities and encourage their productive activity.

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In addition, at the event, the Ministry of Production, Foreign Trade, Investment and Fisheries (MPCEIP), in coordination with the National Federation of Fishermen’s Cooperatives of Ecuador (Fenacopec) and the private sector, highlighted the work of all fishing communities in the country; and also seven artisanal fishermen benefited from a loan of $3,000 each to promote their production activity by BanEcuador.

Prizes were also awarded to the best angler Carlos Beltrán Marcial; and the best fisherwoman, Reina Ramírez Reyes, from Fenacopec.

In addition, the ceremony served as an overview of the results of the work of state bodies in this sector. It was pointed out that from 2021 until today, the Undersecretariat for Fish Resources issued 27,676 permits at the national level, of which 14,729 were delivered to artisanal fishermen, 8,567 to small vessels and 4,380 to traders, which enabled the regularization of actors in the sector, in accordance with what was determined Organic law for the development of aquaculture and fisheries in the country.

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In addition, through the Capacity Building of the Artisanal Fishing Sector program, 10,789 artisanal fishermen from the provinces of Esmeraldas, Manabí, Guayas, Santa Elena, El Oro, Los Ríos, Galápagos, Orellana and Santo Domingo de los Tsáchilas received training on issues of organizational strengthening, conservation fishing resources and production development.

Likewise, the Ministry managed 36 productive projects in the amount of $3,314,198, which benefited 4,673 artisanal fishermen, with the aim of continuing to strengthen the production chain of artisanal fishing, these figures were highlighted by the Minister of Production, Foreign Trade, Investments and Fisheries, Julio José Prado.