Outrage and concern were generated among the residents of the Cobquecura commune by the presence, both on Thursday and yesterday, Friday, of around 50 larger fishing vessels (18 meters in length) operating in the first nautical mile and also in the protected area of the La Lobería Nature Sanctuary, in the context of the opening of the common sardine and anchovy season, from March 8, in the regions of Ñuble and Biobío.
Cristóbal Bustos, spokesperson for the group “We are all Cobquecura”, stated that the fishing of these Biobío vessels within the first mile is legally protected by the criticized exempt resolution 501 of 2023, of the Undersecretariat of Fisheries, which was renewed for five years. the entry into the first mile of Ñuble for artisanal boats with a length greater than 12 meters, “which makes us extremely bitter, because we know that the way in which that provision was created was deceitful.”
Last January, the Supreme Court rejected the appeal for protection filed by the Cobquecura Fishermen’s Union, which they presented against the resolution and which had been accepted by the Court of Appeals of Valparaíso.
However, the leader stated that, “when these boats enter the protected area of the Nature Sanctuary they are committing an infraction,” which is why several neighbors have already filed their respective formal complaints with Sernapesca.
In that sense, Bustos recalled that “these boats, which for legal purposes are artisanal, but their capacity is several times greater than that of the Cobquecura fishermen’s boats, always enter the protected area and complaints are always made, but we We realize that they prefer to pay the fines, it is not something very serious for them.” For this reason, he recalled that both the group and the community in general “we have been asking for a multiple-use marine protected area (larger than the nature sanctuary) for some time, which is our battle flag, because with that, Whether there is a first mile law or not, we would already be avoiding entry.”
Impact on fishermen
At the same time, a group of neighbors have united around the “First Free Mile” cause, which aims to protect that marine strip against fishing techniques “that destroy everything,” explained Daniela Pradenas, one of the representatives of this movement. , who stated that these large boats threaten the sustainability of the small fishermen and shellfish divers of Cobquecura. “They are the most affected, because when these ships enter the first mile, they enter their benthic species management areas, which are protected by law,” she argued.
Pradenas asserted that, “these boats carry out purse seine fishing, which is non-selective and damages the seabed and food chains, that is the big problem we have. After winning in the Court of Appeals, the boats were not entering and the fishermen were happy, because corvinas, crabs and other species that are important for the activity of true artisanal fishing were leaving.”
For the president of the Cobquecura Fishermen’s Union, Palmira Bastías, the presence of these vessels “is a mockery, it is a violation of our rights by the powerful.”
“We cannot understand how the law can have less force than a mere resolution issued by an undersecretary; I cannot understand how the Supreme Court did not value that, it is discrimination that the free mile for artisanal fishermen of less than 12 meters in length exists throughout the country, except here,” lamented Bastías.
Bastías described the disappointment of the fishermen and divers. “Now we were catching croaker, a lot of white fish like conger eel, sea bass, the time of the mountains is coming for us, but with this we have to forget. In the network of these ships they take everything, all the accompanying fauna, they destroy the algae, the benthic species and they leave us nothing. We no longer know who to turn to,” he emphasized with obvious bitterness.
Regarding the violation of the Nature Sanctuary, the leader commented that, as a result of complaints from fishermen and neighbors to the Harbor Master’s Office, “they sent patrols and although the boats left during the day, they return at night. They pass by, they don’t respect anyone. I don’t know if GPS is really used to monitor, because if so, they wouldn’t enter. “They do great damage to the ecosystem, many wolves and birds also die.”
Less than a hundred meters
For his part, the mayor of Cobquecura, Julio Fuentes, expressed that, “I am outraged and disappointed because we believe that what is happening is a mockery. Since yesterday (Thursday) we have been living this nightmare again, for which we even filed several protection appeals last year to protect the nautical mile of artisanal fishing; where unfortunately once again economic power prevailed, and our requests to protect this area of the coastline were rejected.”
“Now we have seen more than 50 boats operating in the area, the residents of La Lobería, for example, reported that they could not sleep because they could be heard very loudly and operating throughout the night with a deafening noise. Unfortunately, these fishing vessels are exceeding the limits of our Sanctuary that we have worked so hard to continue preserving, so there is widespread disappointment in the community to see that they do not protect our sanctuary, which is a real mockery, because they are less than 50 meters,” Fuentes added.
“I hope that the supervisory agencies can verify this situation and apply fines if appropriate, and we also ask the organizations dedicated to caring for the environment to continue helping us to protect our sea from these overwhelming practices. As a municipality we have already reported this situation to Sernapesca and the Navy,” said the communal chief.
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