The fishermen of Grau du Roi did not go out to sea this Saturday. Instead they have blocked the port to protest against a probable decision of the European ministers who meet in Brussels on Monday and Sunday: to reduce their number of fishing days.
The number of days at sea should drop from 183 to 167 in 2022. For Philippe Pélissier, former manager of a trawler in the Gard, this figure is well below the breakeven point. “We did the math. To be profitable, we have to work at sea 184 days a year, 167 this is unacceptable, we would work at a loss“, he explains.
Especially that this figure has been falling for several years. Historically, it has been between 200 and 230.
Another point of contention is the increasingly restricted fishing areas : “From now on the band of 3 miles is forbidden to us, soon there will be wind farms … We no longer know where we will be able to work!“, deplores the fisherman.
Fishing professionals ask for the maintaining 2021 quotas for next year.