Councillor Narvay Quintero and Minister Luis Planas have met with the fishermen of La Graciosa on the 30th anniversary of Spain's largest marine reserve. They announced new training initiatives and increased surveillance against poaching.
The Councillor for Agriculture, Livestock, Fishing and Food Sovereignty of the Government of the Canary Islands, Narvay Quintero, and the Minister of Agriculture, Fishing and Food, Luis Planas, held a meeting this Tuesday with the fishermen of La Graciosa to gain firsthand insight into the sector's situation, its needs, and its proposals regarding the management of the La Graciosa and Northern Lanzarote Islets Marine Reserve.
The meeting took place as part of the events commemorating the anniversary of the Marine Reserves of Fishing Interest in the Canary Islands. The La Graciosa reserve was created in 1995 and continues to be the largest in the Canary Islands and Spain, covering an area of over 70,700 hectares. It is joined by the Punta de La Restinga-Mar de Las Calmas Marine Reserve, which celebrates its thirtieth anniversary this year, and the La Palma reserve, which has been in existence for 25 years.
A shared management that yields results
During the meeting, Quintero highlighted that marine reserves are an essential tool for reconciling the recovery of fishery resources with the maintenance of artisanal fleet activity and stressed the need for their management to continue developing with the direct involvement of the sector. “These spaces were born from the knowledge, initiative, and commitment of the fishermen themselves. More than three decades later, they have shown that protecting resources and ensuring the continuity of artisanal fishing are inseparable goals,” said the councillor.
Quintero valued the collaboration between the Government of the Canary Islands and the Ministry in the shared management of the reserves of La Graciosa and El Hierro, which encompass both internal and external waters. This cooperation is articulated through an agreement that includes the provision of infrastructure, technical means, and specialized personnel for control, surveillance, and scientific monitoring tasks.
He also explained that the results obtained over these three decades show greater abundance and diversity of species within the reserves than in unprotected areas, larger specimens (the presence of a greater number of adult individuals increases the reproductive capacity of populations and favours the natural regeneration of fishery resources) and better catches per unit of effort, circumstances that reduce costs and enhance the profitability of professional activity. He also highlighted that some of the ports located in the vicinity of these spaces have maintained greater stability of their fleet, as is the case in Órzola, despite the general decline of the Canary fleet in recent decades.
“The experience of La Graciosa demonstrates that a well-managed marine reserve is not a limitation for the sector, but an investment in the continuity of fishing activity, in the conservation of resources, and in the opportunities for those who want to enter fishing,” added Quintero.
In this regard, Luis Planas considered that marine reserves constitute “a magnificent instrument for the protection of the marine environment and, at the same time, to ensure that fishermen can continue developing their activity,” especially in the case of artisanal fishing. In this sense, he recalled that the La Graciosa and Northern Lanzarote Islets Marine Reserve, with over 70,700 hectares, is the largest in Spain and emphasized that its creation was a response to the initiative of the fishermen themselves.
Digital training and a new patrol boat against poaching
On another note, the Government of the Canary Islands and the Ministry announced new training initiatives to help fishermen operating in the reserves gain knowledge and use of the new control application aimed at these professionals. These sessions will support the sector during its implementation, resolve doubts, and reduce the difficulties that its use may generate. “The goal is to facilitate professionals' adaptation to this new tool so that digitalization contributes to more effective management, without becoming an additional obstacle for those engaged in fishing activity,” indicated the councillor.
For his part, Planas stated that both the Ministry and the Government of the Canary Islands will maintain dialogue with the sector to address any difficulties that may arise with the use of this new application. In this regard, he indicated that “we will hold as many courses, training sessions, or meetings as necessary so that an artisanal fishing practice like the one here can adapt to this situation; the issue is not insurmountable, it is a problem that has been explained to us very clearly and I have made a commitment to address it.”
He also announced the reinforcement of surveillance means for the La Graciosa and Northern Lanzarote Islets Marine Reserve with the addition of a new state-of-the-art patrol boat, aimed at intensifying control efforts against poaching and contributing to the conservation of fishery resources.
In this regard, Quintero also defended the need to continue advancing in management backed by scientific knowledge and the daily experience of fishermen, as well as to strengthen the means allocated for control and surveillance. The councillor recalled that the artisanal fishing sector in the Canary Islands is a fundamental pillar for the local economy and the sustainability of the coastline, and that collaboration between administrations and professionals is the key to the success of these protective figures.
For the residents of La Graciosa and the rest of the Canary Islands, this news represents support for traditional fishing activity, which coexists with the protection of the marine environment. The new training sessions will begin in the coming weeks, while the patrol boat will be incorporated throughout the year. The commemorative event also served to highlight the role of fishermen as the first guardians of the sea.
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