Christmas without sea urchins. The sea urchin hunters of Cabras, numbering about sixty, will have to wait until January 1st to dive into the sea. The harvest of this red gold will begin on January 1st and end in early May , as revealed during the meeting of the Regional Fisheries Committee. The regional decree is expected to be published in a few days. But there's some news: during the meeting, it was announced that, for the first time, fishermen will be required to enter all their fishing data into a downloadable app made available by the Region.
Mauro Steri, regional manager of Legacoop's fishing sector, attended the meeting of the Regional Fisheries Committee: "Like last year, fishermen will be able to collect specimens on any four days of the week. The new feature is the mandatory use of the Regional app: operators will have to communicate departure and landing operations, as well as where the product will be delivered. This information will also be sent to the coast guard and forestry authorities. This obviously doesn't replace the completion of fishing logbooks. The first analysis will be conducted in February to verify that the app is being used correctly. This will also serve as a benchmark for monitoring the species."
The sea urchin fishermen of Cabras are also waiting to meet with the new regional councilor for Agriculture, Francesco Agus, to remind him that they are always willing to implement the project proposed by the Region years ago, namely a plan to allow the sea to rest. "Only in this way can we know what would happen to our seabed," explains Giacomo Bilancetta, president of the association that brings together the sea urchin fishermen. "To do this, however, we need to explore alternatives for us operators. We are willing to collaborate with the Region to find solutions that will allow us to implement a closure. The important thing is to act together; after all, we know the sea well."
"Alternative projects were also discussed during the Fisheries Committee meeting," Steri concluded. "The councilor is ready to study technical compensation tools."
