Adriatic fishing ban kicks in: from Manfredonia to Bari until September 29th

The fishing ban along the Adriatic Sea began today, August 16th, and will affect the Puglia fleet from Manfredonia to Bari until September 29th. The ban will halt vessel activity, but Italian products from small-scale fishing, dredgers, and aquaculture in areas not affected by the measure will still be available on the tables.

Advice: Look at the label

According to Coldiretti Pesca Puglia , fish such as anchovies, sardines, sea bass, sea bream, sole, mantis shrimp, clams, and mussels will remain available. The association urges consumers to pay particular attention to labels at fishmongers and supermarkets and emphasizes the need to extend the requirement to indicate the origin of the product to restaurants, where there is a greater risk of consuming foreign fish passed off as local.

A sector worth 225 million

According to CREA data, the fishing and aquaculture sector in Puglia is worth €225 million. The fleet comprises 1,455 vessels, equal to 12.3% of the national total, with key areas such as Manfredonia, Molfetta, southern Bari, and Salento. The most important products are shrimp, scampi, and cod, along with offshore farms of sea bass, meagre, and gilt-head bream.

Too much foreign fish on the tables

Coldiretti reports that nearly eight out of ten fish consumed in Italy are sourced from abroad, without consumers being aware of it. The lack of mandatory origin labeling in restaurants allows imported products to be served as Italian, with fewer guarantees than local catches.

A crisis that has lasted for thirty years

The Italian fishing industry has been experiencing a structural crisis for decades. Fishery production is steadily declining, and aquaculture, while stable, is unable to fill the gap left by traditional catches. Meanwhile, fish consumption is growing, but imports continue to dominate the market.

The preferred origins

Coldiretti reminds that by law the label must show the fishing area (Gsa). The areas to be favoured are those of the Ligurian and Tyrrhenian Sea (9), central-southern Tyrrhenian Sea (10), Sardinian seas (11), southern coasts of Sicily (16), northern Adriatic (17), southern Adriatic (18) and western Ionian Sea (19). For frozen fish it is mandatory to indicate the freezing date and, if sold defrosted, the wording “defrosted”.

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