The two main organizations in the sector, the National Federation of Fishermen’s Guilds and the employer’s association Cepesca (with significant weight from large companies), propose that their associates return to activity.
The decision depends on each company and each brotherhood, but the feeling conveyed by the top managers is that most will choose to go back to fishing, although there may be cases in which they decide to continue mooring because they cannot afford the cost of diesel or because they cannot distribute their catches due to the transport stoppage.
The sector does not know in detail how it is going to be helped by the Government of Spain or what the amounts or distribution formulas will be. The Government will approve specific measures next Tuesday to limit the impact of rising diesel prices on fishermen’s operating costs, as reported by the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, Luis Planas.
The head of Agriculture has announced, at a press conference, that the set of decisions that the Council of Ministers will approve in the face of the economic consequences of the war in Ukraine will include said “specific” action for fishermen, and also a special mention that allows accelerating the payment of aid with funds from the European Union (EU).
Cepesca and the Federation of Brotherhoods recognize that it is an act of trust and goodwill after the minister has promised them the maximum possible effort to compensate the sector with aid from the European fund, the extension of the ceiling on direct State aid, the temporary exoneration of fees in the ports of the State, which is considered possible, in addition to low-interest loans and with the contribution of public money.
So, there is a margin of confidence in most of the sector, at least until Tuesday, when the measures for the sector will be included in the decree that the Government is preparing in response to the impact of the attack on Ukraine.