Havana/A fire that occurred in the early hours of this Saturday affected the facilities of the La Coloma Industrial Fishing Company, in Pinar del Río, the most important lobster and bonito processing plant in Cuba. According to reported the director of the entity, Yordan Nogueira Tapia, the forces of the Fire Department are still working to control the incident.
A report The official assures that so far, no loss of human life or risk of ammonia escape has been reported, and the industry was not operating when the flames began. The images broadcast by local media show considerable damage to one of the industry’s main warehouses, with part of the infrastructure burned and the roof collapsed.
The company provides around 45% of the lobster caught in Cuba and 80% of the bonito
La Coloma is a strategic facility for the country’s fishing economy. The company provides around 45% of the lobster caught in Cuba and 80% of the bonito, products of high value in the national and international market.
At the moment, no details have been provided about the origin of the fire or the extent of the material damage, but an official report is expected in the coming hours.
On social networks, numerous users regretted the fire and expressed solidarity with the workers and inhabitants of the fishing town. “What a tragedy, the most important thing is that there were no human losses. How sad for that Colomero town to wake up with that news; that group is the heart of the town, its largest workforce is concentrated there,” wrote user Mervis Prieto Fonte on Facebook.
/ Tele Pinar/ Rafael Fernández
Other commentators pointed out the delay of firefighters in reaching the scene of the accident due to the lack of such a position in the municipality. However, the majority of Internet users expressed their surprise at the seafood products processed by the company, which are absent from family tables due to their very high prices since they are almost entirely destined for tourism and export.
The fire comes at a bad time for the sector. If in 2019 fishermen from the nearby Isla de la Juventud obtained an average of 19 kilograms of lobster per fishing gear, in 2024, the figure had fallen to 5.8 kilograms, according to a report by Islavisión. Among the causes for the drop is that the water temperature has risen from 27 to 30 degrees in the last 40 years, and salinity has increased from 35-36 to 39-40 units.
Last May, another report warned that production of shrimp and lobster sank in Cuba. The first, which in 2019 left 6,900 tons, was 1,100 last year, 84% less. As for the second, 45% of tail production was lost in five years (248,600 tons compared to 136,000) and 9.2% for whole frozen tails.
