More flexible fishing halt: fishermen will choose when to do it

This year it will be the fishermen who will decide when to fish and when not to, while respecting the biological closure. In the decree on the compulsory fishing ban for 2024 signed by the Minister of Agriculture, Francesco Lollobrigida, there is a paradigm shift compared to the past, which will allow greater flexibility and more freedom for fishermen. "We want to give Italian fishing companies the opportunity," explained Minister Lollobrigida, "to be able to choose when to fish and when not to, thus overturning the system adopted in recent years. The Meloni government's objective is clear: to get out of the fishing versus environment dichotomy and build a sustainable future for the fishing sector'.

The new approach of the 2024 compulsory fishing ban, which satisfies the sector's associations, is in line with what the Italian government has been advocating in recent months in Brussels, for example by taking sides against the further reductions in fishing wanted by the EU. "We now hope," the minister added, "that the new European Commission can review the policies pursued in recent years, which have done nothing but damage a fundamental asset of our country. Italy has never backed down. In line with what we have done so far, we will continue to work in Europe to defend our fishermen, our marinas, and our economic model'.

In Italy, the overall turnover of the fishing fleets is around 700 million euros, but our fishing now covers only 20% of national fish consumption. Over the last decade, the sector has seen 16% of its fishermen leave the industry: today, Fedagripesca recalls, there are only 22 thousand, 19 thousand of whom are full-time, compared to 30 thousand ten years ago. The national fishing fleet has also shrunk over the last decade, down to around 11,800 boats, or around 16% of the EU fleet, with an overall contraction of more than 20% over the last decade. Going forward at this rate, by 2030 more than 9 out of 10 fish products on Italian tables could be imported due to a lack of fishing companies and workers.