The Minister of Universities, Science and Innovation and Culture of the Government of the Canary Islands, Migdalia Machín, has expressed "her surprise and discomfort" at the recent statements by the new director of the Spanish Institute of Oceanography (IEO), Jesús Arrieta, in which the need for a research vessel operating permanently in the Canary Islands is questioned.
Machín has emphasized that "the Canary Islands have in the sea one of their main assets and one of the strategic lines for the economic, social and scientific development of the archipelago. Any questioning of the usefulness of this tool is to ignore our needs and our potential."
The Ministry recalls that "the research vessel is a key tool for the development of research projects in marine sciences, essential to understand and protect the marine ecosystems of the archipelago." In this sense, Machín has stressed that "it is not only a matter of research capacity, but of scientific sovereignty and of ensuring that research affecting our waters is carried out under parameters that respond to the interests and needs of the Canary Islands."
Migdalia Machín has pointed out that, "for some time now, a more constant presence of this tool in the archipelago has been demanded, given that the projects and studies in the Canary Islands require continuous monitoring and an active presence." "On several occasions we have approached the State to request that we can have boat days for the Canary Islands and we have not received any response," added the regional minister.
"In this sense, it should be noted that one of the main problems lies, effectively, in the lack of boat time allocated for Canarian institutions, which affects strategic initiatives such as the agreement between AEMET, IEO, ULPGC and PLOCAN for the fulfillment of the international ICOS network. This agreement, in process for more than a year and a half, is hampered by the lack of access to vessels, putting at risk the most important data series in Spain in this matter," he declared.
The Ministry has also highlighted the need to guarantee access to boat time for the Faculty of Marine Sciences of the ULPGC, which has had to resort to private boats for its training practices, with much lower benefits. "It is unacceptable that agreements are signed with private companies for the use of the vessel, while access is denied to a public university that houses the first Faculty of Marine Sciences in Spain," said the minister.
Among the arguments that reinforce the need for this vessel, stand out "the strategic interest of the Canary Islands in the mid-Atlantic, the enormous biodiversity of its waters and the existence of unique oceanic phenomena." In addition, "the relevance of climate change studies and its effects on the marine environment of the archipelago" is underlined. "We are talking about research that has a direct impact on the management of marine resources, on the safety of our coasts and on the economic future of our islands," Machín insisted.
The scientific community in the Canary Islands has expressed its support on numerous occasions for the continuous presence of an oceanographic vessel, considering that this infrastructure is essential for the development of long-term projects, which allow a deeper and more accurate analysis of the changes that occur in marine ecosystems.
"To question the need for this resource is to go backwards in the commitment that the Canary Islands has been making to become a benchmark in marine research and sustainability. We cannot afford to take steps backwards in a sector that is called to be key in our economy and in our international position," said the minister.
"The Ministry of Universities, Science and Innovation and Culture will continue to insist on the need for the research vessel to be permanently present in the Canary Islands and reiterates its commitment to marine science and to the researchers who, from the islands, develop top-level international projects," they conclude.
