The spokesperson of the BNG in Congress, Néstor Rego, has demanded that the central Government require the European Commission to rectify the current restrictions on demersal longlining in 87 fishing areas of the northeastern Atlantic, after the report from technician Ispamer concluded that this method does not cause damage to marine habitats.
As the BNG has pointed out in a statement, through an initiative registered in the Lower House, Rego urges the state Executive to promote the removal of this modality from the existing prohibitions in those areas and to demand economic and social compensation for the fleet that has been harmed.
Néstor Rego has highlighted that, after the report, the "unjust fishing prohibition" agreed upon by the European Commission in 2022 for all bottom fishing methods is "dismantled" and that it had a "huge impact" on the fleet.
"It was a decision imposed without considering the rigorous scientific reports that supported the true impact of each of the methods on the seabed," emphasized Néstor Rego.
The BNG deputy has reminded that the bans applied "reduced catches by 34% and the economic losses are enormous." For this reason, he has urged the Government to demand "economic and social reparation" for the longline sector and to remove this modality from the list of methods subject to prohibition.