#OCerco: valentes na mar, loitadores en terra // Purse-Seine Fishing Sector: brave at sea,fighters on land #fishing #Galicia

Artigo sobre #OCerco galego, escrito para a publicación semanal en papel do Sermos Galiza e que foi publicado o 4 de agosto de 2016

Article about the Galician purse-seine fishing sector that I wrote for the weekly newspaper Sermos Galiza and published on the 4th of August 2016.

(Galician version / English version )

O CERCO: VALENTES NO MAR, LOITADORES EN TERRA

PURSE-SEINE FISHING SECTOR: BRAVE AT SEA, FIGHTERS ON LAND

Foron moitos os que pensaron que despois da acampada en Compostela toda a loita do cerco quedaría en nada. Logo chegou a histórica manifestación do 27 de febreiro e a Conselleira lonxe de dimitir aferrouse ao posto e lanzou unha sarta de promesas e boas intencións, que por suposto non cumpriu.

There were lots who thought that after the encampment in Compostela, the fight of the purse-seine fishing sector was over. But then the historic demonstration of the 27th of February came and the Minister instead of presenting her resignation, clung on to the post and launched a whole string of promises that she has, of course. still not fulfilled

Comezando as vacacións en Portosín dinme que o xuízo polos altercados en Vigo en 2013 estaba a piques de celebrarse. Marcos e Isaac  transmitíanme a súa preocupación; non era para menos, pedíanlles 6 e 7 anos de cárcere;  semella que se buscan condenas exemplares. 

Starting our holidays in Portosin, I was told that the trial for the altercations in Vigo in 2013 was about to begin. Marcos and Isaac shared with me their concern; totally understandable as they faced six or seven years of jail; it looked like someone was looking for exemplary sentences.

Aquel ano, cando de Madrid lles chegou a noticia dos brutais recortes e reparto inxusto de cotas aplicado por Madrid co beneplácito da Consellería do Mar, tiveron lugar moitas asembleas, unha delas en Vigo,  trala cal a policía retivo durante dúas horas aos buses que ían de volta cara Portosín. Ruído, peches, manifestacións, violentas cargas policiais... E logo, un “carameliño” e  silencio de novo durante un tempo.  

During that year, when the news had brought the terrible cuts and an unfair distribution of quotas from Madrid with the approval of the Galician Minister, they had lots of assemblies; after one of them in Vigo, the police retained for two hours the buses that were going back to Portosin. Noise, enclosures, demonstrations, violent police charges... and then, some candy and silence for a wee while.

Pero o carameliño non chegou para nada, coma era de esperar. As denuncias, as presións e as desigualdades medraban ata levar aos cerqueiros a situacións límite. Ata que no 2015 decidiron acampar en San Caetano, fronte a Xunta de Galicia.

But the candy wasn’t enough, as had been expected. The denouncements, the pressure and the inequalities grew until the purse-seine industry reached an extreme situation. In 2015 they decided to camp in San Caetano, in front of the Xunta de Galicia (Galician Government building).

Durante tres meses nin unha soa visita dos que tanto din preocuparse e representar ao sector do Mar. Rosa Quintana dicía en declaracións para La Voz de Galicia que os miraba dende o seu despacho... mais baixar a falar con eles nunca foi para ela unha prioridade. 

For three months they didn’t receive a single visit from those who were said to be concerned for the sea workers. Rosa Quintana (Galician Minister of the Sea) told “La Voz de Galicia” that she watched them from the window of her office... but go down stairs to speak to them wasn’t ever her priority.

Agora que xa estamos en campaña, si que se molestan as autoridades en desfilar e deixarse ver pola costa. “Que se paseen todo o que queira -dinme - pero este goberno pasará á historia por dividir ao sector e por defender os intereses só duns poucos sen importarlle o que pasara co resto”

Now that we are in an electoral campaign, they bother themselves to parade and be seen all over the Galician coast. “They can parade as much as they wish” - people told me, “but this Government will be remembered in our history as the one who divided all the sector and the one who defended the interests of just a few no matter what happened to the rest.”

Acompañeinos durante a viaxe de Portosín aos xulgados de Vigo namentres a flota permanecía amarrada en sinal de protesta e solidariedade. A visita a Vigo deume a oportunidade de reencontrarme con moitos coñecidos que me contaban como seguía o cerco nos distintos pobos e os problemas que continúan enfrontando. Aínda que descontentos, respirouse con tranquilidade cando se coñeceu o acordo de negociar unha sentenza de 6 meses e multa para os acusados no xuízo de Vigo... queda aínda por celebrarse o de Compostela.

I went with them on the trip from Portosin to the Court in Vigo while the fleet was moored in protest and solidarity. This trip to Vigo gave me the opportunity to meet again lots of well-known faces who told me how the purse-seine sector was in different towns and the problems that they are still facing. Although unhappy, everyone breathed a sigh of relief when we learnt there was an agreement to negotiate a six month deferred sentence and a fine for those who had been on trail in Vigo... there is still one trail to take place in Compostela.

“Non fixemos nada mais que loitar polos nosos dereitos, polo futuro dos nosos pobos. Grazas a toda esta xente que está aquí hoxe, o sector ten agora o dobre de cota que en 2013 e todos os barcos teñen unha cota mínima, barcos pequenos e grandes, tanto os que compartimos coma os que non comparten con ninguén” dicíame o Presidente de Acerga.

“We did nothing but fight for our rights, for the future of our towns. Thanks to all these

people who are here today, the entire sector now has double the quota that we had in 2013 and all the vessels have a minimum quota, big and small boats, both those who share and those who don’t want to share with anyone” the President of Acerga told me.

Douglas e eu comprometémonos durante a acampada a ir ao mar con eles. Non se pode falar dun tema sen coñecelo ben; así que nos embarcamos un día con bo tempo, deses que se poden contar cos dedos dunha man, no Portosín Dos.  Douglas repetiu experiencia días máis tarde nun barco máis pequeno, o Gaviota, e con peores condicións meteorolóxicas; a min tocoume vivir ese día a nerviosa espera da chegada do barco. Todas estas  imaxes quedaron inmortalizadas nas cámaras e na nosa memoria para sempre. 

Douglas and I promised during the campaign to go out to sea with them. One cannot talk about anything without knowing it well; so we embarked on board the “Portosin Dos”, on a day with good weather, one of those days that you can count with the fingers of your hand. Douglas repeated the experience days later on board “Gaviota”, a smaller boat and in worse weather conditions; that day I lived anxiously the return of the boat. All these images were immortalized on our cameras and our memories forever.

A bordo do Portosín Dos fomos testemuñas de tres lances. O primeiro foi “pouca cousa” pero tivo lugar á luz do día antes do solpor. O segundo foi a decepción, o do esforzo feito para nada, o da rede valeira, o das cabezas baixas e as caras tristes. O terceiro foi o regalo, o trunfo, ao menos xa cubriron a noite tras moitas horas de faena dura. Tres lances coma a filosofía da vida mesma. E con eles entendes o seu xeito de vida, o que fan todos os días, a paciencia e a paixón que eles e elas transmiten. A vida é isto. O que queira aprender a vivir en terra debe coñecer a vida do mar.

On board the “Portosin Dos” we witnessed three settings of the nets. The first one was just “a wee catch” but took place in daylight before sunset. The second one was the disappointment, all the effort done for nothing, the one of the empty net, the one with the heads down and sad faces. The third was the gift, the victory; at least it was worth the night after many hours of a very hard work. Three settings like life itself. And with them we understand their way of life, what they do every day, the patience and the passion that all of them transmit. Life is thus. Everyone who wants to learn how to live on the Earth should learn how life at sea is.

Ben seguro que non será a última vez que embarquemos co cerco. Hai que coñecer ben como traballan para decatarse do que se xogan cada día. O que para eles é normal, para nós é unha coreografía e un traballo en equipa que hipnotiza. É un esforzo case sobrehumano nun elemento poderoso e sorprendente.

This won’t be the last time we embark with the purse-seine sector, for sure. Everyone should know how well they work, to know what is at stake every day. That for them is normal, for us it is a choreography and a team-work that hypnotizes. It is an almost superhuman effort in a powerful and surprising element.

Puidemos comprobar que as leis que aproban as autoridades dende o despacho, ocasiónanlles a eles graves perigos de seguridade. Non se pode traballar así, urxe cambiar normas para evitar desgrazas canto antes.

We found out that the standards approved by the authorities from their offices are causing them serious security danger. They cannot work like this, it is urgent to change the rules to prevent accidents as soon as possible.

Chega a vitoria legal de Acerga no recurso presentado sobre o reparto de cotas no Cantábrico Noroeste. Nin é o primeiro nin é outro máis, como dixo a Conselleira á prensa. É o terceiro recurso que gaña o sector no Estado. Mais virán. Non pensan parar.

A legal victory has been won for Acerga on the appeal presented against the share of quotas of the Cantabrian-Northwest. It is neither the first, nor one more, as the Fisheries Minister said to the press (in an attempt to minimize the sentence). This is the third appeal that the sector has won in Spain. There are more to come. They’re not going to stop.

A Consellería prometeu moitas cousas pero non asistiu a ningunha das reunións de traballo do sector, nin a primeira! E os problemas de cotas continúan. Se melloraron non é grazas ao goberno de Feijóo. Se melloraron  foi grazas a que a xente do mar dixo basta,  porque a xente do mar decatouse de que este goberno non pelexaba polo pobo, senón contra del. O cerco segue en loita, que ninguén pense o contrario.

The Minister of the Sea made many promises but she did not attend any of the workshops, not even the first! And the problems of quotas continue. If they have improved it was not thanks to Feijoo’s Government. If they have improved it was because the sea workers said enough is enough, it was because the sea workers realized that this government wasn’t fighting for the people but against the people. The purse-seine fishing sector is still fighting, don’t anyone think otherwise!

Marchamos de Portosín con moito aprendido e moito que queda por aprender. Grazas a tod@s pola vosas valiosas ensinanzas.

We left Portosin with a lot learned and a lot still to be learnt. Thank you, everyone, for your valuable lessons.