Balearic fishermen defend the need to recognise the insularity of the Balearic Islands before Brusse

The Balearic Federation of Fishermen's Guilds of the Balearic Islands has called for "island status" to be recognised within the European Union's Common Fisheries Policy (CFP) in order to establish the necessary differences within the general regulations.

This is what its president, Domingo Bonnín, has told the MEPs of the 'popular' group, Rosa Estaràs and Gabriel Mato, in a meeting that has taken place in the Lonja de Pescadores de Palma with a view to the European elections in June.

In statements to the media, the Balearic MEP Rosa Estaràs stressed that the survival of the sector "is complex", which is why she said that the aim is to "reduce bureaucracy and restrictions" for fishermen in order to "adapt the rules to the insularity and its peculiarities".

In addition, he stressed that one of the aims for the next legislature is to achieve a commission for agriculture and fisheries so that "the future commissioner prioritizes and defends" these areas, something which, in his opinion, "has not happened until now".

The president of the National Federation of Fishermen's Guilds, José Basilio, agreed with this, saying that the current committee on the environment, oceans and fisheries "is not the best", and therefore "the primary sector will be asked to join in".

For his part, the said that "fishermen are the main defenders of the environment" and, with regard to the policies that make up Brussels, he maintained that in terms of sustainability there has to be an understanding between "economic and social".

On other points addressed in the previous meeting, Mato referred to the fact that they will propose that the maritime fund for fishing and aquaculture contemplate "the modernisation of the fleets" to improve the conditions of the workers and, thus, "there can be generational replacement, something very complicated with the measures established from Brussels".

In this regard, the 'popular' has pointed out that fishermen "do not understand the decisions that are taken in an office, far removed from their daily lives", so he has emphasized that the issue will be to make "an enormous effort to modify this legislation, and regionalise".

On the other hand, he maintained that "trawling should not be demonized" since "it is extremely controlled and they are determined to put an end" to this type of fishing. In fact, he pointed out that, according to data from the Balearic Federation, 85 percent of catches are made by this practice, while another 15 percent correspond to artisanal catches.

He also reiterated that "areas should not be protected without sufficient studies, simply to protect 30 or 40 percent of the seas", especially when, in his opinion, "the Balearic Islands has a sustainable fleet".

The president of the Consell de Mallorca, Llorenç Galmés, who was also present at the meeting, reiterated that a budget of 100,000 euros will be allocated to ten fishermen's guilds and stressed the need to "guarantee the survival" of the sector on the island, which has a "unique and singular" character due to its insularity.

At the same time, the president of the Federation, Domingo Bonnín, recalled in his speech that the fishing collective supported the 'tractoradas' of the farmers that took place last month in Madrid.

He also indicated that "we are thinking about and coordinating" actions to claim the needs of the sector, in collaboration with the National Federation and other entities to present a "continuous line" that covers "fishermen, markets and aquaculture".

Bonnín has focused on the fact that "the Balearic fisherman has the feeling that he is being punished unfairly when he has done things well", with differences between the large industrial fishing vessels of northern Europe, "which are three months" of work, as opposed to what happens in the Balearic Islands that "go out every day" with boats "that have nothing to do".