Vessel owners operating out of the port of Vigo, Galicia, are demanding Madrid and local authorities to formally request a unified European Union fishing fleet in order to obtain common fishing quotas pegged to traditional activities, and not according to national flags.
The petition document was drafted by the Vigo Vessels Owners Cooperative and presented to Spanish Fisheries minister, Miguel Arias Cañete, and his Galician counterpart, Enrique López Veiga. Basically the document commends the Spanish and Galician authorities on the upcoming installation of the European Fishing Resources Management Agency in Vigo.
The text highlights the importance of fish production, marketing, and consumption in the EU. But the Galician vessel owners believe the Agency should, --besides routine control analysis and surveys--, oversee a quota transfer system among EU companies that once implemented will lead to a "unification" of the EU fishing fleet.
Further on the release underlines the significance of locating the Agency in Spain and specifically in Vigo, “…a good decision given that Spain is the most important country in the EU regarding fish production and consumptionâ€. Fleet owners also pointed out that Vigo is only behind Osaka, Japan, and Alaska as the world’s most active fishing centers.
Source: Fish Information Services