This season, several fishing vessels operating in Golfo Aranci have been banned from catching shrimp for exceeding last year's quota , but the limits imposed by European directives threaten to destroy Sardinian fishing.
The Golfo Aranci Fishermen's Consortium has denounced the consequences of implementing the restrictions, especially in the run-up to summer, deeming them "absurd and disproportionate." According to the Consortium, the shrimp catch quotas have resulted in a complete shutdown of the local fishing industry, from the fish market to restaurants and tourism, whose specificities are not taken into account in the fish stock allocation criteria.
"The reality of Sardinia and Golfo Aranci is being treated as if it were a vastly different context, without taking into account the seasonality of its activities, resulting in an unfair and penalizing system," says the Consortium, which challenges the bureaucratic and centralized approach. "What is happening is unacceptable. Fishing cannot be governed by top-down decisions, devoid of any territorial logic and totally disconnected from reality. This risks destroying an entire sector, based on hard work, sacrifice, and tradition, and endangering the future of our communities," says the president of the Fishermen's Consortium, lawyer Andrea Viola.
Reserving the right to bring the issue to the attention of national and European institutions, the Golfo Aranci Fishermen's Consortium calls for an immediate review of the quota distribution criteria, financial support measures for affected businesses, and the opening of discussions with ministries, the Region, and industry representatives.
