Plan “absorbs largest fishing site” off north western Viana do Castelo
In spite of concessions made to the national offshore wind farm plan, fishermen are still not happy.
The VianaPesca co-operative claims the plan as it has been re-thought still “absorbs the largest fishing site” off north western Viana do Castelo.
“We have already alerted the prime minister to introduce a correction to the law, because all the associations in the north are united to respond to this betrayal,” Portela Rosa, who represents the VianaPesca co-operative of fish producers in Viana do Castelo, with around 450 members, tells Lusa.
According to the fishermen, the Affectation Plan for Offshore Renewable Energies (PAER), published last week, jeopardises “the largest fishing ground off Viana do Castelo, the so-called Viana secos”.
“After a more detailed analysis of the plan, we realised that the route is no longer perpendicular to the mainland – as we proposed and as was presented as definitive by the Director General of Natural Resources, Safety and Maritime Services at an international meeting – but diagonally to the southwest,” Portela Rosa explains.
In an initial analysis of the document, made last Friday, VianaPesca warned that at very least “there will have to be a rethink of the compensation”.
“We had asked for the entire Technological Free Zone planned for Viana do Castelo to be released for fishing. But only half of that area has been released. This will harm some vessels, because there are fishing areas that will disappear, and some will have to be scrapped. The trade-offs will have to be rethought,” says Portela Rosa.
The PAER Plan for Offshore Renewable Energies made a number of changes to the project begun under the previous Socialist government, to which fishing industry associations initially reacted in uproar.
A strategic environmental assessment conceded that the installation of wind farms at sea “should lead to the scrapping of vessels” and reduce fishing – something that for obvious reasons, the fishing industry cannot fully understand, let alone accept. ND
Source material: LUSA
