3 January 2003
Ecuador Ecuador experienced a reduction of 17% compared to the captures of 2001, and also with the forced fishing ban for the fleet during December, the union of Ecuadorian tuna boats considers that 2002 has been the most negative year for this sector.
"The results cannot be more ominous after receiving blows from both within as from outside the countryâ€, said LucÃa Fernández, president of the Ecuadorian Tuna Boatowners Association (Atunec), when referring to the disadvantages experienced, such as the ban to fish in Ecuador and the recent exclusion of canned tuna from the Andean Trade Preference Act (ATPA).
The Atunec president said that the tuna sector hopes that, in 2003, the new authorities will assist in negotiating the agreement allowing the entry of Ecuadorian canned tuna in the United States market with zero tariff.
