Photo Diego Izquierdo/Revista Puerto

Shrimp conflict : The Legislature would have the key to unlock the conflict over the FAP

ARGENTINA
Wednesday, August 17, 2022, 06:00 (GMT + 9)

The threat of a total stoppage of unloadings in the country's ports, the rejection of the payment of the canon of Patagonian and Mar del Plata fishing chambers accelerated the political springs of Chubut to "review" a law in force since 2018. They seek votes in the Chamber of Deputies for its repeal.

The conflict triggered in Chubut with the collection of the Provincial Environmental Fund, a fee for unloading shrimp at a rate of the value of one liter of premium diesel for each box unloaded in Madryn, Rawson or Camarones, aroused multiple reactions.

Negotiations started early as pronouncements against the tax were added. Rawson's yellow fleet (wet vessels) left the boats in port and the different maritime unions announced measures of force that would affect all the fishing fleets in the country.

The stevedores enrolled in the SUPA mobilized and warned to completely paralyze the unloadings, first in all the ports of Chubut, including other non-fishing activities, so it could also affect the aluminum activity in Puerto Madryn. As the hours went by, the possibility of a national strike was even considered to stop the discharges in all the ports of the country.

Secretary Aguilar, linked to SUPA, arrives at the meeting. (Photo: Diego Izquierdo/Revista Puerto)

In Rawson there were meetings from morning until late at night. The SUPA demonstrated outside the official offices and ratified that the unloading in the ports is paralyzed.

It was an intense Monday, where the sectorial pressure was the increase. On Friday, the Secretariat of Fisheries announced that as of August 16 it would demand the collection of the FAP to be able to operate shrimp boats in provincial ports, based on an opinion from the State Prosecutor's Office that states that since the norm is in force, must be applied.

The yellow fleet reacted first, the CAFACh warned that the boats would not go out to fish. Later, the Mar del Plata fishermen enrolled in ALFA announced that they would not enter the ports of Chubut and would take all the raw material to the province of Buenos Aires.

National shrimp fishery in danger

This Monday, there was a joint statement from the Association of Coastal Fishing Vessels (AEPC), the Argentine Chamber of Shipowners of Deep-Sea Fishing Vessels (CAABPA), the Chamber of the Argentine Fishing Industry (CAIPA), the Chamber of Cold Storage Exporters of Fishing (CAFREXPORT) and the Union of Argentine Fishing Interests (UDIPA) qualifying as "unconstitutional" the collection of what they consider double taxation.

SUPA people celebrating (Photo: Diego Izquierdo/RevistaPuerto) -->

These entities based in Mar del Plata exhorted "the competent authorities to reflect and refrain from exercising any act or measure that may mean the attempt to restrict free access to the ports of the Province of Chubut, and any measure that adopted that may impede freedom of labor and trade. They contribute to altering social peace, affecting normal operations in the development of the shrimp harvest in national waters”, they put on alert.

Strong call to the deputies

For its part, the Argentine Patagonian Chamber of Fishing Industries (CAPIP), agreed with the other entities regarding considering the application of the tax inappropriate.

Given the escalation of conflict and the delicate scenario that arises, "we make a new call to legislators to immediately correct the dysfunctionality created by the enacted law, which deserved the public rejection of all the actors in the fishing activity, and that negatively affects the sector, at a critical and emergency moment, which requires commitment, responsibility and decision to change. It is now Legislators”, raised the CAPIP.

Negotiations against the clock

At the close of this edition, there were enormous negotiations with the different fragmented legislative benches, to try to determine whether or not they have enough hands for the FAP to be repealed. This week there are no scheduled sessions in the Chamber of Deputies of Chubut.

The ruling party is a minority and a modification to the law would necessarily require the support of opposition sectors; For now, they have remained silent.

The truth is that this Tuesday the fishing ports will be paralyzed and the industry will feel the blow. A convulsive week is expected until a political solution is found.

Author/Source: Nestor Saldivia/Revista Puerto

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