(ANSA) - BARI - From tomorrow 5 May, the fishing of sea urchins in the Apulian seas will be suspended for the next three years.
This was underlined by regional councilor Paolo Pagliaro, group leader of La Puglia Domani.
The bill was approved on 28 March by the Regional Council and was published in the Official Bulletin of the Region on 20 April, therefore it is effective from 5 May.
"This completes the circle of a complex process, which started with my bill shared with fishermen, researchers and environmentalists, well received by all those who love the sea and nature, and signed by President Emiliano and 49 regional councilors". comment.
"It is forbidden to fish for sea urchins in our seas - he continues - to allow for the repopulation of seabeds at risk of desertification due to the massive harvesting of recent years. The biological shutdown period in May and June is not enough, a three-year stop is needed to leave time and space for the hedgehogs to reproduce.
From food for the few, the sea urchin has become an increasingly widespread gastronomic trend, fueling a market that is now out of control.
For a single plate of spaghetti with sea urchins, at least 25 specimens are needed, and even the minimum size allowed for sampling has no longer been respected: seven centimeters in diameter". The law does not prohibit the marketing of sea urchins from outside the region, but only fishing. (ANSA).
