Translated from A Nova Demcracia, with information from the newspaper El Pueblo
On the afternoon of January 9, artisanal fishermen raised burning barricades and blocked the entrance to the port of San Vicente, Talcahuano, in the region called Bío Bío.
The blockade that remained firm until the day 10/01 is part of the mobilization of the fishermen for the approval of the bill that regulates the capture of the cuttlefish, marine mollusks that are similar to squids and very commercialized in the region.
Reports say that, during the protest, protesters moved some workers' cars from near the points of the blockades so they would not be affected by the heat and smoke.
The regulation of mollusc fisheries favors the preservation of the natural resource against the predatory activity of the fishing industries, while guaranteeing the maintenance of the main source of income of the local artisanal fishermen.
The bill that aims to regulate mollusc fisheries may be promulgated after the House of Representatives ratifies the changes proposed by the Senate. However, industrial businessmen from the fishing industry are against the project and claim the suspension of it.
Choco fishing is one of the main economic activities of the region, in the place where one of the main ports of Chile is located.
