Representatives from the municipalities of Cedeira and Valdoviño, along with the Cedeira Fishermen's Guild, held a working meeting at the Cedeira town hall to address the critical situation faced by clam diggers due to the scarce productivity of shellfish beds.
It was agreed to request an investigation into the causes of the death of cockles and clams, while seeking support measures for the workers. The parties will meet again on November 13, hoping to be joined by the Director General of Fisheries Development, María de los Ángeles Vázquez Suárez.
The shellfish resource crisis in the Cedeira estuary, which began in 2024, persists with only occasional moments of recovery. Currently, production is nil and the clam diggers are idle. The Xunta de Galicia declared a cessation of activity at the beginning of the year, allowing workers to claim unemployment benefits, but concern is growing due to the lack of solutions and the exhaustion of these benefits. Some have already exhausted their unemployment rights and are paying autonomous worker fees without any income.
According to Susana Bellón, the twelve clam diggers from Cedeira and Valdoviño have carried out seeding efforts with devastating results. Neither clams nor cockles, their main resource, are thriving.
The collective demands measures to restore the shellfish beds and secure the future of the sector, recalling that the Cedeira estuary has been declared a "Marine Reserve of Fishing Interest" since 2009. They also require an agreement or formula to guarantee economic viability through recovery work.
The meeting was attended by the mayors of Cedeira, Pablo Diego Moreda Gil, and Valdoviño, Alberto González Fernández; the deputy mayor of Cedeira, María Xosé Pernas Díaz; councilwoman Carmela Prieto; Valdoviño councilman Germán Gómez; the second deputy patron of the Guild and president of the clam diggers, Susana Bellón; the secretary of the association, Raquel Ramos; the secretary of the guild, María Rodríguez; and biologist Santiago Pereira.
