The December fishing ban for the IATTC controlled tuna fleet ended last week.
At least 60 of the 194 ships that were anchored in the port of Manta for maintenance performances already set for sea on January 1st. Around 150 crewmembers and about 60 captains went on board the vessels to sail en route towards the South East. According to satellite reports, these are the coordinates for tuna shoals. The rest of the vessels departed a day later.
LucÃa Fernández, president of the Ecuadorian Tuna Boatowners Association (Atunec) indicated “although the temporary veto was fruitful, we will never support a ban during the month of Decemberâ€. “It may be possible to discuss ‘intent days’, like for example an annual ban between the months of August and Septemberâ€. “The ban protected the sea resources and the fishing vessels as well as the processing factories used this time-period to carry out their corresponding maintenance activities†said LucÃa Fernández.
Mere Gabriel, a fisherman who departed last week for a 22-day fishing voyage on board vessel ‘Ramón Eduardo’ said, “we finally have work; matters were getting pretty bad for us during December, because of the lack of moneyâ€.
Crewmembers leaving port for fishing activities are receiving an advanced payment of up to USD 200. This is a great aid for the fishermen and their families to get them through until their return, according to José MacÃas, another fisherman.
The Philippine flag frozen tuna carrier M/V Flowergarden unloaded 3,500 tons of whole round frozen tuna last week. This fish should fill the gap created by the lack of Eastern Pacific tuna for the Ecuadorian canneries.
Vessels Anchored at Manta Port during December 2002
