MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Controversy over scientific advice

Fishermen's associations are calling on the Galician government to launch an effective plan to guarantee the survival and growth of the region's coastal fisheries. The fishermen from northwest Spain argue that to achieve this goal, the Fisheries Department must carry out a detailed analysis not only of the biological aspects but also the technology, economics, and social aspects related to the industry.

They also insist that the opinions of independent experts should be taken into account, not just the opinions of government scientists, to ensure that the findings are "of the best possible quality".

The fishermen are planning to put their proposal forward at the next fisheries department meeting in September, although the department has already announced that it would be presenting its own plans.

Pontevedra fishing associations accuse the government of exercising considerable discretion in its use of scientific reports. They say the authorities sometimes select reports that support the government's views and simply ignore evidence from other reports.

This latest criticism has added more fuel to the fire in the fishermen's continuing dispute with fisheries minister Enrique López Veiga over his policy for the coastal sector. But the minister reiterated this week that he had no intention of backing down.

Although talks should be held with the associations so they could air their views, it was important to tackle each association's specific problems instead of generalising, he said. (FIS/MP).-