Two key days for the implementation of the Caletas Law in the Tarapacá region took place this week; The first of them was the constitution of a working group headed by the central level representatives of the National Fisheries and Aquaculture Service, the Undersecretary of Fisheries and the Ministry of National Assets, to which other actors were summoned, such as Serviu, Directorate of Roads, Subdere, Development and Industry Division of the Regional Government and the Tarapacá Development Corporation, where the progress and challenges of the development of artisanal fishing were evaluated and this Wednesday a field visit was made to the Caramucho and Chanavaya coves, where meetings were held with fishermen’s unions, who expressed their doubts and projections regarding the regularization and productive promotion of their territories.s.
The seremi of National Assets of Tarapacá, Osvaldo Ardiles, explained that the ministry prioritized the implementation of the law in six coves in the region: Caramucho, Chanavaya, Los Verdes, Río Seco, Pisagua and Chipana. “What is intended with this implementation is precisely to be able to regularize the ownership of the destinations that the different unions have with respect to these coves and to be able to advance the growth of those destinations if they require it. We have to carry out participatory work closely with the different unions to be able to collect what the needs and requirements are,” said the regional authority.
Regarding the work carried out in the region, Jaime Montenegro, professional from the National Fisheries and Aquaculture Service (Sernapesca) in charge of the implementation of the Caletas Law, stressed the need to understand local realities. “On this second day we had the opportunity to visit the Chanavaya and Caramucho Coves, talk with the leaders of artisanal fishing so that in their own words they explained to us and told us the state they are in, to have the first impression of a work that is going to begin to be carried out in the Tarapacá region that has to do with the regularization of these spaces surrounding the artisanal fishing coves.”
DIVERSIFICATION
It was the case of Exequiel Yáñez, president of the Union of Divers, Shellfish and Artisanal Fishermen of Caleta Chanavaya, who expressed his support for this initiative: «I think it is very good that it is the first instance we have to start the law of coves, many problems are solved there is and thus be able to continue moving forward.
For your part Gonzalo Garrido, head of the Artisanal Fisheries Department of the Undersecretariat of Fisheries, highlighted the importance of intersectoral collaboration. “If there is no regularization of space, we do not have basic services, we will hardly be able to diversify production. What the cove law seeks is not to remove the artisanal fisherman from being a fisherman, but it can be related to other types of economic activities that they are associated with their historical activity and that is not only an issue for Subpesca or sectoral institutions, it is an issue for all institutions because it is a territory and in territorial development you have to have all the institutions.” A collaboration that is crucial to address not only productive aspects, but also issues such as housing, historical heritage and access to basic services.
Finally, Constanza Candiahead of the Territorial and Heritage Management Unit of the Ministry of National Assets, explained that the role of National Assets in this law, “is to achieve the administration delivery of these lands to the fishermen and those who live in the territories,” establishing some exceptionalities that allow us to try to speed it up, such as expropriation in those coves that are constituted in private territories, where we can carry out an expropriation and with that after handing over the land to Sernapesca so that it will later be in favor of the fishermen’s unions that have an administration plan.”
