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Wednesday 3 December 2014

Dunkirk fishermen block the Grand off the port for maintenance of quotas in 2015

Apologies in advance for some of Google's translation.



While fishing events take place in La Rochelle and Nantes, where the sea Audience economy just opened, the movement was relayed in Dunkirk.

While hundreds of fishermen and dozens of ships, demonstrated on Tuesday in Nantes and La Rochelle to demand the maintenance identically in 2015 fishing quotas, the first day of the Sea Economic Assizes open to Nantes Manuel Valls. 100% of Dunkirk netters (there are 17) blocked the port of Dunkerque Grand large at 14:00 on Tuesday 2nd December. They are protesting against the likely drop quotas. Including sole about which scientists are asking a decrease of 60% fishing quotas. For some skippers who bring docked 85% of sole, the fall in revenue could be 50% . Fishermen are worried and disappointed that the law changes too often. They also dispute that some ships are subject to the Directive "zero discharge" that will require, from 1 January 2015, make any discarding the water, but to store them, bring them back to the port and unload. " more handling, more storage space and more charges " they argue accordingly. A symbolic Grand blocking off the port of Dunkirk was held so from 14:00 this afternoon. A Calais also this morning, and cost-reimbursable fish sales took place in Lille, Republic Square today.




Foghorns, leaflets and flares

In Nantes shortly after 10:30, fishermen have welcomed the Quai de la Fosse, near the center of Nantes, ships that docked by ringing of foghorns . They distributed to passers leaflets to raise awareness of their cause and lit flares . Several ships carrying banners such as "Europe is killing us, let us work" or "quotas Drop, drop in sales " . The protesters also hung a large banner proclaiming "Stop the quota down" on the Anne de Bretagne bridge, near where the fishing boats are moored. "What matters to us is the definition quotas, and these quotas are maintained in 2015 " , explained José Jouneau, the chairman of the regional committee of fisheries. Fishermen want "the quota approach is not just fishing and scientific, but social and economic , because that it is not a company that could define his future at six, seven or eight months as is currently the case, " he added.

"Hollande = pollution, Marine = solution" 

Fishermen suggest that changes in quotas be spread over the next five years and a progress point to define this spread be organized in 2015. "Today is a day of awareness for (show) that there is a small-scale fishing in the Pays de la Loire, that we are an integral part of the development of the region " , stressed Mr. Jouneau. A delegation of fishermen were to be received at the Loire-Atlantique prefecture in mid-day with an advisor to the Secretary of State for Transport, Sea and Fisheries, Alain Vidal. At Rochelle , for the same reasons, a fifty boats fishing from all ports of the Charente-Maritime gathered late morning in the Old Port of the city, completely blocked and deafened by the sound of foghorns. Others continued to arrive and organizers waited in the afternoon a hundred in all, or the . 'entire fleet department On ships among the banners read: "Europe makes us die" , "Enough of this Europe that kills fish" but also: "Hollande = pollution, Marine solution = " . When asked about the meaning of this slogan, the fishermen have confirmed that the Marine in question was indeed "Marine Le Pen ".

Full story here: