Fishery Union questions ban on skate fishing in Portugal
European Parliament
Parliamentary Questions
18 January 2012
Question for written answer
to the Commission
Rule 117
João Ferreira (GUE/NGL)
Subject: Banning of yellow skate fishing in Portugal
In Portugal, the Southern Fishing Workers’ Union has recently drawn attention to the issue of the ban on catching skate and the consequences that this ban is having on fishermen.
According to the union, the species known as Yellow Skate occurs in large quantities in Portuguese waters, and fishing poses no threat or danger to the species. The ban is therefore not appropriate to the Portuguese reality, because it does not take national specificity into account. Furthermore, this severely affects the incomes of small-scale fishermen, which are already particularly low.
In view of the above, the Commission is asked to answer the following:
- What species of skate are currently prohibited from being caught?
- What assessment has been made of the state of conservation of stocks of these species in Portuguese waters?
- What is the specific situation of Yellow Skate?
- In view of the sector’s precarious situation, the main causes of which are the fall in fish prices at the initial point of sale and the galloping increase in production costs, what Community measures can be mobilised to support these fishermen?
Note: Unfortunately, the source does not mention the scientific name of this „yellow skate“. In the original Portuguese text, the common name of the skate is „Raia Amarela“.
Source: The European Parliament.