ESG PRESS RELEASE RE BRUSSELS AND
LA LINEA FISHING PRACTICES

15th March 2012

The ESG is concerned about a Brussels decision announced by La Junta de Andalucía in February 2012 that will allow fishing fleets in Andalucía to continue seabed raking, an environmentally damaging fishing practice, to be carried out inside the normally forbidden zone of 0.3 miles to shore.

An article in La Linea Digital (see link at end of press release) advised that La Linea de la Concepcion, Estepona, Velez and Fuengirola have a total of 269 licensed vessels between them for this type of fishing which employs a total of 700 people.

It is very distressing to read that this unsustainable practice, recognised as disastrous for the survival of coastal marine species, and outlawed elsewhere in Europe, has nevertheless been given a moratorium to operate in these areas which has implications for Gibraltar’s waters.

Coming at a time that the Gibraltar Government has stated it will stand firmly by the 1991 Nature Protection Act the ESG hopes that the issue of illegal sea bed raking can also come under the spotlight for adequate regulation enforcement within Gibraltar’s protected areas.

Link at: http://www.lalineadigital.es/2012/02/las-embarcaciones-de-marisqueo-de-la-linea-podran-seguir-faenando-cerca-de-la-orilla/