Group Denounces Fisheries Act as unconstitutional
HONDURAS – The executive director of the Committee for the Defense of Flora and Fauna of the Gulf of Fonseca (Codefagolf), Jorge Varela, denounced the killing of 13 fishermen and destruction of mangroves in the Pacific waters of Honduras.
Varela criticized that “the new Fisheries Act is another example of appeasement that characterizes this government and states it is because it is the manner in which they are saying that the “concessions” that have occurred, the public territories that have been given for shrimp farms are made- they are sold, leased, inherited, basically treated like private property. ”
“This is a tremendous attack, because the Constitution is useless again, Article 107 of the Constitution prohibits foreign corporations enclaves established in our shores and there are several companies that procure shrimp from other countries. That’s one of the problems we have, “he added.
He said that in that area of the country, a reported 13 murders of fishermen have been recorded, although there may be more unreported.
He charged that these murders are usually covered with a gift of some 30 000 lempiras (U.S. $ 3,500) or with a temporary job that give the bereaved relatives.
He insisted that the betrayal that occurs with the Fisheries Act also occurs with the Mining Act, which also causes the exact same situation.
“With the concessions given to mining companies, public lands will be able to be sold, rented, inherited, transferred by any measure. This illicit giveaway of public lands and resources has further tainted this government. Apart from the cities model, this is the largest act of anti patriotism that characterized the president of the National Congress (Juan Hernandez), who really seems to be a stateless person with that of the model cities “, he questioned.
In this regard, said that “worth more that have not yet adopted the Mining Act and the Fisheries Act because that is the last straw and who knows how many laws are delivering our territory.”
On the other hand, said that in the rainy season the destruction of mangroves decreases in the dry season starts which is from November, when the rains come and the land is dry there are restarts mangrove destruction.
He said that almost all marine species in the Gulf of Fonseca are at risk, because there is no fisheries management, no general management. He said more about the wild shrimp fishery, claimng it is under the same conditions, as the absence of a fisheries management, there are hundreds of miles of power without control and without any study.
As for marine farmed shrimp, said the biggest problem at the moment “is impunity in the killings that have occurred in the Gulf of Fonseca, therefore reiterate my advice to businesses and government about shrimp- Do not let this new crime go unpunished. “