Aquaculture sector in collapse: mayor calls for halt to loan repayments as well
The plague of the blue crab which is endangering the Ferrarese, in Goro, one of the towns most affected by the killer crustacean, is becoming a real social drama. So much so that the mayor, Marika Bugnoli, in agreement with the aldermen and municipal councilors, is looking for every possible way to find solutions.
"I'm very worried - explains Bugonoli reported by La Nuova Ferrara -. Here everything risks collapsing, with entire families who will be left without work. Especially the younger ones have debts, investments in aquaculture have been important and they don't know how to do it. I will personally go to the bank directors to ask for the suspension of mortgage payments and loans, because I am experiencing desperation with my hands. I would like one thing to be clear: Goro does not want to sell and breed blue crabs. We just want to make them disappear to protect what over the years we have built with great sacrifices".
"I speak not only as deputy mayor but also as a clam fisherman - adds Thomas Turolla, second office of the Com,ue but also councilor for fishing and production activities as well as new president (since last June) of the Co.Pe.Go., the Consortium of fishermen of Goro - In recent months our concern has not only gone towards our production of excellence put to the test, but also towards the 3,500 inhabitants of our community, the 1,700 employees and the entire sector".
"For months -continues Turolla- we have been mobilizing together with Con.Uno, the joint juvenile consortium and our trade associations, such as the Alliance of Italian cooperatives: all have asked the municipalities of the lower Ferrarese area to convene their municipal councils to declare the state of calamity, in order to have the Region, and consequently the ministry, activate the solidarity fund for aquaculture, so as to be able to immediately request refreshments and economic support".
"We ask the support of citizens to the municipal administration in dealing with the emergency because the danger does not concern only the economic aspect -adds Nickolas Bellotti, councilor for public works of the Municipality of Goro-. The blue crab, with its aggressive nature ", also represents a risk to the safety of those who work or simply find themselves in the waters of the Sacca di Goro. Aquaculture farmers, fishermen, tourists: no one is safe".
"In line with what is requested by the associations of the alliance of fishing cooperatives in Emilia-Romagna - Bellotti continues - we must recognize the seriousness of the situation and declare a state of natural disaster. Secondly, it is essential that we report the damage to Emilia Romagna Region and to all the other competent authorities, so that they are aware of the urgency of the situation".
"We are launching - continues Bellotti - an administrative procedure to quantify the damages suffered by our cooperatives, and we are appealing to the national and regional authorities to obtain an economic contribution that will allow us to face the costs of the emergency and compensate for the damages caused by the invasion of the crab".
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Goro, FE, Italy, 07/31/2023 14:35
EFA News - European Food Agency
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