LA LINEA DE LA CONCEPCION, Spain: Spanish fishermen say their catch has been ruined by Gibraltar’s decision to drop concrete blocks in waters surrounding the tiny British outpost.
The British-held territory’s unilateral decision in July to set up an “artificial reef” to protect fishing grounds blocked Spanish fleets, infuriating Madrid.
Britain now accuses Spain of retaliating by imposing excessive customs checks at the border to Gibraltar, leading to daily, hours-long queues of cars.
For the Spanish fishing boats that work the Gibraltar Strait, it is not just a question of diplomacy.
As fisherman Francisco Gomez hauled in dredge nets that scoop up shellfish from the seabed, he lamented the quality of the clams in his catch. “This is nothing like the shellfish you can catch over there,” he said, pointing to the area that has been sealed off to Spanish boats for weeks by Gibraltar’s artificial reef.
Captain of the “Divina Providencia” (Divine Providence), an old eight-metre fishing boat carrying a Spanish flag, 51-year-old Gomez has fished for years in the waters that lie at the heart of the most recent flare-up between Spain, Gibraltar and Britain.
It is the latest in a string of diplomatic rows over the self-governing British overseas territory, which measures just 6.8 square kilometres and is home to about 30,000 people.
Spain ceded Gibraltar to Britain in perpetuity in 1713 but has long argued that it should be returned to Spanish sovereignty. London says it will not do so against the wishes of Gibraltarians, who are staunchly pro-British.
Gibraltar’s government says the concrete reef will help rebuild fish stocks.
Fishermen from crisis-hit Spain’s depressed southern region of Andalusia say the reef has removed one of their best fishing grounds.
“Over there you can catch 30 to 60 kilos of clams a day, for which they pay us nine euros ($12) a kilo. But here you get thin shells that fetch two euros and moreover there are only a few of them,” Gomez said.
“We have been here six hours now, since five in the morning, and we have got just 40 kilos,” he said while emptying four trawler nets.
AFP
