MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Extra funds for decommissioning Galician vessels and reduce fishing effort

Galicia said the extra funds are to address a greater number of applications, and intended to adapt fishing fleet capacity to the availability of marine resources

Funds for decommissioning fishing vessels during 2015 have increased by 12.9 million Euros to 23.2m Euros, according to what was reported by the Xunta of Galicia (north-west Spain) Ministry of Rural and Marine Affairs.

 For the high seas fleet, the increase represents 11.8 million Euros, which means the Galician government will have 20,1 Euros for the operation of which 75% is co-funded by the European Fisheries Fund.

The Galicia Secretariat explains that the purpose of this extension is to address a greater number of applications, and is intended to adapt the fishing fleet capacity to the availability of marine resources by reducing the fishing effort.

It also made clear that the extension is not a new deadline for submission of applications, since it is to serve ships that have already sought help in the call published in the DOG of 21 January, 2015.

The beneficiaries of this aid are the owners of fishing vessels from the third list of the Matriculation Register of Ships that are discharged in the Register of Fishing Vessels of the Autonomous Community and in the Census of the Operational Fishing Fleet and which are included in an adjustment plan of the fishing effort. The exception in the comprehensive management plan of coastal fisheries is in the Spanish Northwest Cantabrian fishing grounds, which have a specific call.

For the inshore fleet, the sums offered as aid for the permanent decommissioning have been expanded by 1.1 million Euros. These grants are intended for fishing vessels affected by the comprehensive coastal fishery management plan at the Cantabrian-Northwest fishing grounds.

The extra sum adds to the initial amount of 2m Euros intended for this purpose in the 2015 call, published in the DOG on 21 January, 2015, and increases the total to 3.1 million Euros.

Beneficiaries are owners of fishing vessels from the third list of Matriculation Register of Ships that are discharged from the Register of Fishing Vessels of the Autonomous Region and in the Census of the Operational Fishing Fleet, plus those which are included in the fishing effort adjustment plan of the Cantabrian-Northwest area.

In addition, vessels must prove at least 90 fishing days in each of the two 12-month periods preceding the date of application for permanent decommissioning of the vessel or 120 fishing days in the 12 months prior to the presentation date of the application.

Vessels have to be at least 10 years old and their homeport in Galicia. (FIS/MP).-