The Port Authority and the Tarragona Brotherhood reach an agreement to improve the quality of the water in the harbours of the Port

The Tarragona Port Authority’s Department of Sustainability, held a meeting last Wednesday May 17th, at the brotherhood’s premises, to seek measures which will allow them to improve the ecological condition of the water, in particular the waters of the inner harbours.

Once the current situation had been explained, the various parties finalised agreements aimed at improving the quality of the water and the treatment of marine waste. Among the measures to be implemented were those to prevent solid waste such as plastic bottles, boxes or organic matter from falling into the water; as well as paying more attention to the way fish unloading is handled, and preventing the material that is deposited on the dockside from getting into the water.

Joan Basora, director of the Port of Tarragona’s Corporate Development and Sustainability, insisted that: "For its part, the Port Authority will provide all the containers needed to ensure that these wastes can be deposited and managed properly, as well as increasing the frequency that the vessel contracted to collect floating solid waste passes". In addition, he stressed that: "With all of this, we expect a significant improvement in the quality and the image, which is sometimes spoiled by the presence of such wastes, and we will be able to count on the collaboration of the Brotherhood and the fishermen".

The Catalonia Waste Agency’s "Marviva" project will be launched shortly, in collaboration with the Tarragona County Council and the Port Authority. The programme plans to bring ashore and to classify the waste trapped in the nets during trawl fishing operations.

The improvement in the quality of the water cannot succeed without the collaboration and involvement of the fishermen, who can see how the size of their catches is reducing.