On December 19, I will present a motion in the plenary session of the Cabildo of Lanzarote and La Graciosa to launch a consumer voucher exclusively for the purchase of fish from our islands. This is not a symbolic measure or an isolated gesture: it is a necessary response to the critical situation our fishing fleet is experiencing and a strategic commitment to strengthen a sector essential to our economy and our identity.
Our fishermen are going through a particularly delicate time. The continued increase in operating costs, competition from imported products at lower prices, and the difficulty in maintaining profitability are threatening the viability of an activity that has historically been fundamental to the island. Added to this is the serious problem of generational renewal, which compromises the continuity of the sector in the coming years.
At the same time, there is a contradiction that is difficult to justify: The Canary Islands is the autonomous community with the lowest fish consumption in all of Spain. We have raw material of extraordinary quality, sustainable and local, but our consumption levels do not keep pace. This difference directly affects domestic demand and, therefore, the ability of our fishermen to market their catches fairly.
The proposal for a consumption voucher is not improvised. It responds to technical criteria and the accumulated experience of other administrations that have used similar instruments to revive sectors in a situation of risk. This type of policy achieves: increasing immediate demand, favoring the purchase of fresh local fish, injecting liquidity into fishing guilds, fishmongers, and retail businesses, sustaining employment and economic activity linked to the sea, promoting healthier and local eating habits, and strengthening the blue economy, aligned with the objectives of island sustainability and resilience.
It is clear to me that this consumption voucher alone does not solve the structural problems of the fishing sector, but it is an effective, rapid, and direct mechanism to alleviate tensions and generate a visible short-term impact. The motion I present is not about parties, but about responsibility. The fishing sector is part of our economic, cultural, and social heritage.
Defending it means betting on quality, sustainability, local produce, and local wealth.
That is why I trust that all the councilors of the **Cabildo of Lanzarote and La Graciosa**, regardless of their political position, will support this initiative. **Lanzarote and La Graciosa** need brave and useful measures, and this **consumption voucher** represents a real opportunity to support those who live from the sea and to strengthen the connection between our citizens and local fish
The path to a more sustainable and fairer economy begins with decisions like this. Recovering the value of our fish is recovering an essential part of who we are.
