In less than 24 hours, without legal support or waiting for the technical opinion of the Ministry of Production (Produce), the Permanent Commission of Congress ordered an 80% reduction in fines imposed on fishing companies until 2020. The provision particularly benefits companies that were sanctioned by Produce for illegally extracting species in the Paracas National Reserve.
With the disposition of Congress, Industrial fisheries would stop paying around S/10,000,000.
The list of fishing companies that have accumulated the most fines because their vessels carried out extraction work in the Paracas National Reserve are Pesquera Diamante (S/2,309,100); Corporación Pesquera Inca (S/2,167,200) and CFG Investment (S/2,107,000), according to the Produce sanctions database (see box).
On the morning of Friday, July 19, during the session of the Permanent Commission, Congressman Jorge Morante (formerly of Fuerza Popular, now Somos Perú) proposed adding the exemption from paying 80% of fines to fishing companies, in the debate on a project of the Executive to increase public investment.
After a simple statement by Morante, who argued, unusually, that his proposal “will improve tax collection,” the Budget Committee chaired by legislator José Jerí (Somos Perú), gave the green light to the initiative that favors companies that are part of the National Fisheries Society (SNP). The Permanent Committee approved the ruling on the same day.
Thus, Congress approved an 80% reduction in fines for fisheries, in a context in which the SNP has begun a legal battle to obtain authorization to extract marine species in an area where it is not permitted: the Paracas National Reserve. After the National Service of Natural Protected Areas of the State (Sernanp) rejected the SNP’s request, the powerful industrial fishermen’s union has resorted to the courts to achieve its objective.
Companies fined for fishing in Paracas National Reserve.
The measure in favour of the fisheries was not included in the Executive’s project that was being debated by the Congressional Commission, so the proposal by Congressman Jorge Morante was presented at the last minute and did not merit the slightest discussion.
Asked about his initiative, Congressman Morán argued that its purpose is not to benefit the industrial fishermen that They have accumulated more than S/11,000,000 in fines for illegal fishing.
“I want to benefit artisanal fishermen because, first, they have payment problems, or they have coercive debts, or are in legal proceedings. And they are small. These people have no way of dealing with these things.“Morante told La República.
However, the project did not make any distinction between industrial fishermen and artisanal fishermen.
“As far as I know, industrial fishermen do not have many problems with fines. Those who do have a problem with fines are artisanal fishermen. The National Fisheries Society has never really addressed the issue of fines. In all the coves I have been to, the complaints have been from artisanal fishermen,” said Morante.
In the bill for exemption from paying fines for illegal fishing by legislator Jorge Morante, it is stated that it is aimed at the entire fishing sector. If his interest was artisanal fishermen, he should have presented an initiative with that precision. Consequently, the approved norm satisfies the sector with the highest fines: industrial fishermen.
Morante made the proposal without legal or technical support and the president of the Budget Committee, José Jerí, accepted it and it was not debated.
It is also noteworthy that the exemption of fines of up to 80% applies to sanctions prior to 2021, even though the so-called “Fishing Package” granted a similar benefit in 2022. Therefore, the new discount will particularly benefit companies recently fined for illegal fishing in the Paracas National Reserve in 2020.
SNP SAYS IT WILL NOT APPLY TO THE DISCOUNT
La República asked the National Fisheries Society (SNP) if its members have had any involvement with the approved project that reduces fines for fishing companies by 80%.
“The National Fisheries Society has not promoted the exemption of fines with any authority,” responded the president of the SNP, Eduardo Ferreyros.
He also clarified that they will not abide by the law approved by Congress that favors them.
“Fishing companies associated with the National Fisheries Society will not benefit from any discounts”Ferreyros said.
The SNP recently appealed a court decision against its request to fish in the Paracas National Reserve and has turned to Indecopi for the same purpose.
