**Dozens of fishermen** have **gathered** this Monday morning in Puerto Naos, in Arrecife, to **join the national strike** against the **new European Fishing Control Regulation**. In this mobilization, all the fishermen's guilds of Lanzarote met at 12:00 PM as a sign of protest. Meanwhile, the fishermen of La Graciosa did the same on the neighboring island at the same time.
The fishermen's guilds of both islands have thus joined the mobilizations promoted by the National Federation of Fishermen's Guilds (FNCP) and the sector as a whole at the state level to show their rejection of the application of said rule.
This national federation has denounced that the current interpretation of Regulation (EU) 2023/2842 "imposes absurd, dangerous, and unworkable obligations, especially for the inshore and coastal fleet, jeopardizing the economic viability of thousands of vessels, maritime safety, and the supply of fresh, local fish".
The senator for Lanzarote and La Graciosa, Manuel Fajardo Palarea (PSOE), spoke this Monday morning on Radio Lanzarote-Onda Cero to explain that this regulation dates back to 2023 but has not been applied until now.
"We have singularities by territory and by other types of issues," Palarea defended, pointing out that the Ministry of Fisheries itself has acknowledged that there are "certain measures that are difficult to comply with" and that Spain will go to the Agriculture and Fisheries Commission in Europe to request "flexibility" or exemptions when applying the regulation.Among the most controversial measures for the people of Lanzarote, the sector **rejects the imposition of port arrival notices of up to four hours** for vessels that fish just minutes from the coast and undertake trips of less than 24 hours.
This requirement, as the national federation has argued, forces boats to wait unnecessarily at sea, with the consequent economic damage, deterioration of fish quality, and risks to crew safety.
Palarea has pointed out that the San Ginés Fishermen's Guild has informed him that the main problem is this prior notification of arrival at port. The objective of Spain and other European countries, which also view this measure with apprehension, is to "exempt compliance with the obligation of this notification made one day in advance by vessels undertaking voyages of less than 24 hours". If this is not possible, the proposal is to modify "the prior notification period to thirty minutes or the actual navigation time for vessels of twelve meters or more with voyages of less than 24 hours".
Along with the prior notification, local fishermen have harshly criticized the need to report catches. "It is very difficult, given the sea conditions and the work itself carried out at sea, to do it in the way the regulation requires," adds the senator, who advocates for these notifications to be made at port and for fishing inspection services to avoid initiating sanctioning proceedings for these weighings.