Clam war in the Marche, there is yet another extension

ANCONA – The clam war is destined to continue. The regional council has approved a six-month extension – the umpteenth in 15 years – for clam fishing on the Marche coast, extending the deadline to 31 December 2024. The provision allows 25 San Benedetto fishing vessels to fish exclusively in an area of ​​the Ancona district, in derogation of national and regional legislation. Despite promises to resolve the issue, the extension has become a habit.
The president of Co.Ge.Vo. Ancona, Giacomo Mengoni is disappointed: «Despite the efforts to seek mediation with the other Marche consortia, the Co.Ge.Vo. Ancona is no longer willing to dialogue due to the closed attitude of politics. We hope that the regional council of 25 June 2024 does not endorse the extension, as this would further aggravate the responsibilities of those involved.” The derogation from the 2009 regulation was justified by the need to reduce the fishing effort in the San Benedetto compartment, but Mengoni explains that since 2016, with the reduction of the minimum size of clams and the daily fishable quantity, the fishing effort has already been significantly reduced. «If all the San Benedetto boats fished at the same time, their fishing effort would be lower than that already considered acceptable in 2009». In fact, with the ministerial decree of 27 December 2016, both the reduction of the daily fishable quantity from 600 kg/day to 400 kg/day was imposed, as well as the reduction of fishing days, from 5 to 4. In summary, the Co.Ge .Vo. Ancona calls for the restoration of legality and criticizes the regional management of clam fishing, which it considers “illegitimate” and is ready to assert itself on any front, even legal, in order to support its reasons.