The Government delegate in Cantabria, Eugenia Gómez de Diego, participated this Friday in the opening ceremony of the twenty-fourth edition of the Anchovy Fair in Santoña, highlighting the consolidation of this event as an unmissable event in the regional calendar.
In his speech, Gómez de Diego pointed out that anchovy is “one of our star products, one of the best gastronomic ambassadors in Cantabria”, and highlighted the crucial role of women in its elaboration. Thus, it has influenced the artisanal transformation of this product, carried out mostly by expert hands of women, who preserve a centuries-old tradition.
The Government delegate has also reviewed the historical and current importance of anchovy as a characteristic product of Santoña and the entire Cantabrian coast. He has highlighted the economic and cultural value of the canning industry in Cantabria, highlighting the constant growth and innovation of the sector and the growing demand for its products, both nationally and internationally.
"The canning industry is an important economic and employment sector, especially in this area, but also for the whole of Cantabria", said the delegate of the Government, who has shown her support for an activity of which she has also highlighted her contribution from a cultural, gastronomic and identity perspective unique to Santoña.
The inauguration of the Anchovy Fair was attended by the Secretary General of Fisheries of the Government of Spain, Isabel Artime, as well as local authorities, such as the Mayor of Santoña, Jesús Gullart; the Minister of Fisheries, Pablo Palencia, and the participation of numerous visitors who have come to taste and purchase local products.
"Happy Anchovy Fair! ", concluded Gómez de Diego, encouraging all attendees to enjoy the event and support the local products of Cantabria. "Any excuse is good to come and enjoy Santoña, but it seems to me an irresistible plan to enjoy some good anchovies and here we find the best ones," he said.
Meeting with the sector
Prior to their participation in the Anchovy Fair, the Secretary General of Fisheries and the delegate of the Government, accompanied by the Deputy Director General of National Fishing and Community Waters, Juan Elices, and the councilor of the branch, held a meeting with professionals of the sector in the Fishermen's Brotherhood of Santoña.
After the meeting, in statements to the media, Artime has pointed out that the management of anchovy fisheries is a “clear example” of sustainability in its three aspects: biological, social and economic, and has praised the “good conjunction” between the sector, administrations and scientific personnel.
In this way, it has valued the work of fishermen and, in particular, “the agreements and consensuses they reach every year to mark fishing conditions that maintain these biological and also socio-economic balances.”
The Secretary General of Fisheries has assured that there is constant and direct contact between her department and the sector, and has alluded to some of the challenges that must be faced, such as the generational relay. On this aspect, he has advocated working together from a broad perspective so that young people perceive that it is a sector “with a future, in which there is employment and profitability”.
Likewise, it has pointed to the normative development of the Law of Sustainable Fisheries and Fisheries Research as another of the challenges, for which it has guaranteed dialogue. In fact, as reported, the Ministry has opened a consultation to work together with the sector in developing the fifth title of the law on the management of fisheries resources.
Finally, Artime has expressed the “honour” for her to attend Santoña and participate in the Anchovy Fair. “It is an emblematic product that is known all over the world, an important economic engine, deeply rooted to the land and tradition and culture,” he said.