The National Chamber of Fisheries and Aquaculture of Panama (CNPA) considers as a positive advance the installation of a work table announced by the Aquatic Resources Authority of Panama (ARAP), with the purpose of developing responsible, profitable and sustainable fishing. However, he considers that it should be made up of all the actors in this industry, which drives the country’s economy.
In this sense, he stressed that core actors for the development of this activity must be present at this table, such as the industrial sector, boat owners, shipowners, captains and artisanal fishermen, among others, who have the experience of years of work, who can be evaluated and considered, to establish the appropriate management measures for any fishing activity in the Republic of Panama.
One of the points that the CNPA has emphasized has been the need to initiate work with the Responsible Fishing Commission, which is established in Law 44 of the ARAP and the recent Fishing Law 204, both documents refer to the importance of creating this commission, but who its representatives are has not yet been established.
For this reason, they request the President of the Republic, Laurentino Cortizo, to file his official letters so that this commission is installed, so that the ARAP receives advice when modifying or creating measures to organize fishing activity.
According to figures from the Comptroller General of the Republic in its report for 2020, the fishing activity presented a growth in its Gross Added Value of 12.2%, reflected in the increase in registered fish exports of 23.7%. In the fourth quarter of 2021, this activity registered an increase of 16.1% (Report of the Comptroller, August 2021), which shows that fishing is of the utmost importance in the economy of Panama, it is the second export product after bananas and it represents a considerable source of employment for coastal populations. It is estimated that a total of 1,500 industrial fishmongers, 13,062 artisanal fishermen and 37,500 who depend on processing activities live from this activity.
