The Director General of Fisheries Development, Ángeles V. Suárez, has defended the actions promoted by the Ministry of the Sea against the expansion of the Asian alga Rugulopteryx okamurae, measures that, as she has underlined, have been designed and applied "with scientific rigor".
During her speech in the Fisheries Commission, the BNG deputy Rosana Pérez has called on the Xunta to adopt new decisions following complaints from the Arousa estuary fleet, which warns that their gear is found "full" of Asian algae. "It could be a catastrophe," she warned, calling for its consequences on bivalve mortality and falling productivity to be analyzed.
Suárez replied that the monitoring of biodiversity and the control of invasive alien species is a state competence, and that the removal of algae from beaches corresponds to the town councils. Even so, she assured that the Ministry of the Sea is not going to "evade responsibilities" and that it is acting within its scope of competence, focused on the defense of shellfish beds.
In this context, she recalled the creation of an interdepartmental working group that led in 2025 to the Galicia Biomass Management Plan, an instrument that organizes the collection, transport, and storage of this biomass.
She also added the Algasdet project, developed together with the University of Santiago de Compostela (USC) and endowed with more than 200,000 euros, co-financed by the Fempa. This program includes the development of a marker capable of "unequivocally" detecting the presence of the alga, as well as sampling campaigns at 90 points along the entire Galician coast to control its expansion.
NO INCOME IN FLOATING SHELLFISHING
In the same commission, the PSdeG deputy Paloma Castro has denounced the critical situation of floating shellfishermen in the Arousa estuary, who have gone nine months without receiving income. She has asked for the aid from the European Fempa funds to be paid immediately to some 300 families affected by the closure of the Cabío, Bohído, and Lombos do Ulla banks.
Castro also questioned that the Ministry of the Sea has only formalized "five agreements" with Galician cofradías for the regeneration of shellfish beds and lamented that, in practice, "until now the sector has not seen a single euro".
Faced with these criticisms, the Director General of Fisheries Development, Ángeles V. Suárez, has defended that the Xunta acted "with speed, rigor, and honesty". She insisted on the "anticipation and scientific rigor" of the regional executive and contrasted this action with the "abandonment" that, in her opinion, the central government shows, from which she has demanded greater social protection for shellfish gatherers.
Suárez has highlighted a shock plan endowed with 33.6 million euros for the fiscal years 2026 and 2027, financed in part with resources from the European fund Fempa.
NEW REGULATIONS FOR UNDERWATER FISHERMEN
On another point of the agenda, Rosana Pérez (BNG) has denounced the "discrimination" that, according to her, affects the 3,000 licensed underwater fishermen in Galicia, subjected to restrictions that "only exist in Galician legislation". She detailed that, between October and April, they can only fish on weekends and holidays, in addition to enduring time limitations and the prohibition of accessing certain areas.
The Director General of Fisheries, Aquaculture, and Technological Innovation, Isaac Rosón, has responded that the Xunta is preparing a draft update of the recreational maritime fishing regulations with the aim of "responding to the current needs" of the group, given that the current regulation is from 2009. He announced that the text will be submitted for public participation to incorporate allegations and proposals from the sectors involved.
Rosón also recalled that the entry into force, in February 2025, of Regulation (EU) 2025/274 on the control and registration of catches forced a reorganization of the processing calendar for the new regional regulation, in order to avoid overlaps with future state regulation.
A QUARTER CENTURY OF CETMAR
Finally, the director of the Technological Center for the Sea (Cetmar), Rosa Chapela, has reviewed the 25th anniversary of this organization, which celebrates its 25 years of trajectory with 52 ongoing projects and an investment exceeding 4.5 million euros.
Chapela has highlighted that the center's work is reflected, among other areas, in the technical design of Galicia's shellfish plan, in the co-chairmanship of expert groups in Brussels, and in initiatives to strengthen food security in more than 15 developing countries.