The Spanish Technological Platform for Fishing and Aquaculture is participating in the 1st Biennial of Fishermen’s Guilds, which is being held in Las Palmas de Gran Canaria from 12 to 14 January.

The meeting organised by the National Federation of Fishermen’s Guilds, FNCP, will be attended by representatives of Fishermen’s Guilds from Andalusia, Asturias, the Balearic Islands, Cantabria, Galicia, Valencia and the Canary Islands.

The National Federation of Fishermen’s Guilds, FNCP, is holding its “1st Biennial of Fishermen’s Guilds” in the Canary Islands, as agreed at the 11th General Assembly held in Madrid last October, with the aim of monitoring fishing activity in Spain, as well as analysing and addressing the problems of this important sector within the economy of our country.

This first meeting, which will take place every two years, will be attended by fishermen and fisherwomen from all over the country. It is the largest meeting held in Spain within the scope of fishermen’s guilds. Almost a hundred fishermen and fisherwomen from the different guilds of Andalusia, the Balearic Islands, Cantabria, Galicia, Valencia and the Canary Islands meet at this meeting that turns the Canary Islands into the capital of Spanish fishing these days.

The opening ceremony will be on Friday, January 12, at 9:15 a.m. by the president of the FNCP, José Basilio Otero, accompanied by the Area Minister for the Primary Sector, Food Sovereignty and Hybrid Security, Miguel A. Hidalgo Sánchez, and by the Minister for Agriculture, Livestock, Fisheries and Food Sovereignty of the Government of the Canary Islands, Narvay Quintero.

For Basilio Otero, president of the FNCP, this meeting is “very significant for Spanish fishing by uniting the fishing sector to address issues and problems with the aim of improving and guaranteeing its survival in the face of the storms we suffer.”

On Friday, the theme of the first day of this I Biennial of Fishermen’s Guilds is the Social Economy, which provides a dimension that will be essential for the future of the most resilient entities in the fishing sector. The challenge posed by the development of the blue economy, and/or the new FEMPA funds, will also be addressed. This first session will be opened by the president of CEPES and Social Economy Europe, Juan A. Pedreño, who will give a conference entitled “Promoting the Social Economy. Opportunities for Fishermen’s Guilds.”

On Saturday, the different marketing strategies will be discussed in a context of declining fish consumption in Spanish homes. The president of the Association of Spanish Supermarket Chains, Aurelio del Pino, will open this second day and will address the new trends in large commercial areas.

This national meeting is sponsored by Sinerxia Consultores and collaborated by Abanca and Murimar.