Fishing trade in revolt: "Unsustainable conditions, an urgent table is needed"

The supply chain for the marketing of fish caught in Sciacca, Porto Empedocle, and Mazara del Vallo has officially entered a state of agitation.

The decision comes at the end of a meeting held yesterday at the Municipality of Sciacca, chaired by Mayor Fabio Termine, during which the merchants affiliated with Confcommercio chose to initiate a mobilization that could soon lead to public protest initiatives.

“A difficult choice – explains the provincial president Giuseppe Caruana – but inevitable in the face of working conditions now deemed unsustainable.”

Numerous businesses from the main ports of the southwestern coast attended the meeting, a sign of a widespread malaise throughout the entire commercial chain of fish.

The operators are asking for the recognition of rights and protections in line with the rest of the production chain, claiming a central role in ensuring quality, traceability, and economic continuity in the sector. Without an efficient commercial network – they emphasize – the entire sector risks losing competitiveness and stability.

Also present at the meeting were the municipal councilor for Productive Activities Francesco Dimino, municipal councilor Calogero Bono, and the president of the productive activities commission Giuseppe Catanzaro.

The discussion highlighted the need for a rapid and structured institutional intervention. For this reason, it was agreed that Mayor Termine will request an urgent meeting with the regional department for Productive Activities, with the aim of initiating a regulatory process capable of addressing the needs of the category.

The businesses, while ready for protest, keep a window open for dialogue. The mobilization, they explain, is not a gesture of rupture but a call for the Region to recognize the economic and social value of a sector that represents one of the pillars of Sicilian productive identity.

Now, quick responses from the institutions are awaited.