The National Aquaculture and Fisheries Commission (Conapesca) and the Federal Attorney for Environmental Protection (Profepa) will diagnose the damage that the merchant ship Grande Senegal caused when it ran aground on the Madagascar reef, located 40 kilometers from Sisal.
Authorities reported that there is a request that the fine charged to the company that owns the cargo ship, pass into the hands of the fishermen in the area as compensation.
The Grande Senegal landed on the reef crest, made up of rocks and corals, leaving a trawl channel as it entered the reef, and, despite the impact, no fragmented colonies of protected coral species were found.
Days later, on August 3, Profepa reported that it initiated an administrative procedure for the grounding of the Grande Senegal in Madagascar and that the Attorney General’s Office (FGR) initiated an investigation for this case.
The case led, on Friday, August 18, to a protest by dozens of fishermen from Sisal and Hunucmá in front of the Government Palace in Mérida demanding a compensation because, they said, the stranding from Grande Senegal damaged the reef and therefore the fishing activity.
Federal authorities agreed to send a letter to President Andrés Manuel López Obrador to request that the money that will be charged as a fine to the ship (from the Italian shipping company Grimaldi Lines) goes directly to the fishermen as compensation for the damage caused.
Also, the head of the Yucatan Fisheries and Aquaculture Secretariat (Sepasy), Rafael Combaluzier Medina, reiterated that it will be Profepa who will determine possible damage to the reef, and Conapesca will do the same with the situation of marine species in this area.
“The case of the ship is being studied by Profepa, and it has to do the studies. We do not have information on how big and how much impact it has on fishing until we have the result from Conapesca.
“These are studies that have to be done in depth and we cannot be saying yes or no, without having the scientific knowledge of the affectation,” he explained.
According to Sisal fishermen, during the stranding and removal of this ship, about 60 meters in length, there was a severe affectation for them, who saw the volume of species caught decrease.
Given this, the head of Sepasy maintained that, while the inquiries into the damage are being carried out, the ship is being held, waiting for the sanction to be applied for the damage caused. He affirmed that Sepasy had already listened to the fishermen, whose request was made in due time and form to the federal authorities, who are in charge of dealing with this matter.
“The ship is detained by the (Secretary of) the Navy and by Profepa, It is still there and it will have to carry out the administrative process of fines and repair of the damage. We had talks with the fishermen two weeks ago. They had the request for compensation and we dedicated ourselves to notifying the federal authorities, “he said.
TYT Newsroom
