Fishermen protest in the Strait of Bonifacio: ships stopped from passing, investigation opened

Unprecedented protest today in the Strait of Bonifacio . Several Corsican fishermen's organizations , with the support of some Sardinian crews , have blocked navigation in the stretch of sea between Santa Teresa and Bonifacio .

Fishing unions organized the blockade to protest against "the new heavy restrictions announced at the ocean conference in Nice" . It was carried out a sort of barrier of almost two kilometers, with boats and a long cable . Only ferries to and from Sardinia were allowed to pass . A cruise ship , the Sea Cloud Spirit, had to change course.

This morning, signal flares were fired and smoke bombs were lit, the protest took place in Italian waters. A signal flare reportedly hit a Maltese ship, causing damage to the vessel but no injuries to the crew . At that point, several patrol boats and a Coast Guard helicopter arrived in the stretch of sea between Palau and the La Maddalena Archipelago. The crews of eight fishing boats were identified, none of them Sardinian, and a captain was reported to the Tempio Prosecutor's Office (which has opened an investigation) for the crime of attempting to undermine the safety of navigation. The Coast Guard's complaint concerns the positioning of a cable several hundred meters long to block maritime traffic.

Among the promoters of the event, the Sindicatu pa in defense of the Corsican fishermen and the Union of Fishermen of Corsica .

French President Emmanuel Macron announced in recent days new heavy restrictions on fishing to protect marine ecosystems, a line shared by the European Union. And today in Nice the United Nations Conference on the Oceans opened .

The Sindicatu pa in defense of the Corsican fishermen has issued a note shared by the Sardinian colleagues present at the protest: «We have tried to prevent as many boats as possible from passing to express our anger. Because with what was announced in Nice, it will not be industrial fishing that will pay the bill, but artisanal fishing».

Fishermen contest the use of electronic surveillance tools , today a sign appeared with the words "No to video recording on boats less than twelve meters". Very strong limitations are expected to be placed on the collection of red shrimp.