MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Newfoundland blames Galicia for its decline

Newfoundland on Canada's Atlantic coast has lost 11.000 jobs and a hundred fish processing plants in the last decade.

The decline in catch volumes and the 1991 moratorium on cod fishing have turned the land of abundant fisheries resources into a province battered by unemployment and full of resentment towards foreign fishing vessels, particularly from Galicia and Portugal, reports "La Voz de Galicia".

The collapse of activity both inside the EEZ and outside the 200 miles had driven the provincial administration and the local fishery industry to target those vessels which operate in the framework of the North Atlantic Fisheries Organization, NAFO, including Spain and Portugal.

The "Estai" incident which almost led to a high seas confrontation between Canadian and Spanish frigates in the nineties is still very much present among Newfoundlanders, reports "La Voz de Galicia" which admits that were it not for Ottawa's diplomatic efforts and limited interest in the fishing industry, the situation in the Canadian Atlantic provinces could be far "more inflamed".

Actually recently released reports published in several Canadian books indicate that some members of the cabinet at the time of the "Estai" incident favoured "sinking" a Spanish frigate "to teach them a lesson".

"Our inspectors are continually detecting irregularities committed by foreign vessels", underlined Tom Dooley head of the Resources Policy Office from Newfoundland's Fisheries Department while showing photos of fish in a Portuguese vessel which are no larger than a cigarette.

"We're facing a very serious socio-economic problem; many people have migrated and many factories have closed doors. We must protect our province's economy", insisted Mr. Dooley who favours stricter high seas patrolling to impede foreign vessels "depredation" of fishery resources.

According to Newfoundland's Sea-Food Producers Association between 1990 and 2003 the number of local industries dropped 45%, 11,000 jobs have been lost and only the crab and shrimp industries help to keep the sector on its feet.

The question is "how long can the province sustain this situation", concludes "La Voz de Galicia".