OVIEDO, 19 (EUROPA PRESS)
The parliamentary group Convocatoria por Asturies-IU in the General Junta of the Principality of Asturias (JGPA) has decided to request the closure of salmon fishing as an urgent measure due to the "evident progressive decline" of the species. To this end, the formation has registered an initiative in which it questions the Council of Government about whether it intends to promote its incorporation into the List of Wild Species Under Special Protection Regimen (Lespre), in order to prevent its definitive disappearance in Asturias.
The group's spokesperson, Xabel Vegas, defended this Tuesday the urgency of applying "brave measures" that allow for the recovery of Atlantic salmon in Asturian rivers.
"Far from being a cause for celebration," Vegas maintained that the capture of the 'Campanu' (the first salmon of the season caught in Asturias) represents "a huge cause for concern about the state of this Atlantic salmon species," to the point of warning that Asturias could be "facing one of the last salmon to be caught."
The deputy emphasized that salmon is part "of the environmental, cultural, and emotional identity of Asturias," just like other emblematic species such as the bear or the capercaillie, and warned that allowing its extinction would imply renouncing "an essential part of what Asturias means as a natural paradise."
For this reason, Convocatoria por Asturies-IU calls for actions aimed at the recovery of salmon, including the temporary prohibition of its fishing to facilitate the regeneration of the species and ensure that Asturian rivers "can once again have salmon in their waters."
In parallel, the parliamentary group Convocatoria por Asturies IU-Más País-IAS has presented another initiative in the General Junta in which it asks the Council of Government when it plans to approve the ban on salmon fishing in Asturias, "given the evident progressive decline of the species."
The initiative also asks whether the regional Executive intends to promote the inclusion of salmon in the List of Wild Species Under Special Protection Regimen "to prevent its definitive disappearance in Asturias."