SANTA CRUZ DE TENERIFE, 26 September (EUROPA PRESS) –
The Minister for Agriculture, Livestock, Fisheries and Food Sovereignty of the Canary Islands Government, Narvay Quintero, today inaugurated the new facilities of the Garachico fish market in Tenerife, which have been expanded by the Executive with an investment of 636,957.60 euros from the European Maritime and Fisheries Fund (EMFF), co-financed by the European Union and the Autonomous Community.
The public company Tragsa, under a commission from the General Directorate of Fisheries, has executed these actions to enhance and equip the fish market and primary sales area of the building that also accommodates the offices of the San Roque Fishermen’s Guild and Isla Baja y de Puertos, serving as a social venue as well.
The premises are arranged on the ground floor with an open-plan fish reception area accessible from the street via three doors, leading to three refrigeration rooms. The first is an ice silo that stores flake ice produced by a generator situated on the upper floor, with a production capacity of 5,000 kilos every 24 hours. The second refrigerator hosts the fresh chamber for fish storage, and finally, a frozen chamber for various purposes.
Additionally, there is a restroom area and a staircase providing access to the second floor, where a well-ventilated engine room is located. This area contains the flake ice generator, as well as four condenser units serving the ice generator, the silo, the fresh chamber, and the frozen chamber.
During the visit, the minister, along with Esteban Reyes, the general director of Fisheries, the mayor of Garachico, José Heriberto González, senior patron of the Brotherhood, José Lucio León, and other committee members, emphasised the significance of these works, which address a long-standing demand from the municipality’s fishermen, who are traditionally engaged in maritime and fishing activities. He also announced that his department is already progressing with the installation of a new travelift at the fishing port.
The mayor of Garachico, for his part, underscored that the port “has numerous requirements, but for the fishing sector, the facilities are quite impressive for fishermen across the entire region, from Icod to Buenavista. It is the only port in the north of Tenerife, necessitating discussions with Canary Islands Ports to reactivate both land and sea access,” he stated.
According to the senior patron of the Brotherhood, this improvement “simplifies the first sale for us and is also a step forward in accommodating tuna boats in the future,” he remarked. Presently, the 25 boats operated by the 30 sailors of the Brotherhood are active in the Teno and Garachico areas, where “we typically catch species such as old fish, whelk, shrimp or moray eel to primarily supply local restaurants and fishmongers,” he explained.
Finally, in alignment with the Executive’s backing of the fishing sector, the minister highlighted the Government Council’s declaration this September, allowing for the allocation of 1,009,818 euros from own funds to the ‘Aid for artisanal fleet Ukraine 2’. Through this initiative, the Canarian Executive aims to sustain the competitiveness of the Canarian coastal fishing fleet amidst rising costs due to the ongoing conflict between Russia and Ukraine, which hampers the marketing of its output.