New seafood market coming to Farallon

Seafood market and processing facility coming to Farallon
photos by Eric Jackson

Small-time fishing communities have, under the previous several administrations, been under a generalized assault. Although Panama's fishery is its most ancient industry, between the mostly foreign-owned factory ships and the local and international mix of real estate speculators and developers, both the fish that the men in cayucos catch and the beach villages in which they live or work have been threatened with extinction. Other than regulations on fishing and shrimping season and the equipment and nets that can be used, the government policy is best described as neglect. There have been no programs to create artificial reefs, oyster beds or other improvements aimed at guaranteeing a continued seafood supply.

However, we have an exception begun under the Torrijos administration that's being continued and expanded by Martinelli's team. It's a seafood market and processing facility in Farallon, not far from the old military airstrip. It will be a major retail and wholesale seafood market, and a place where things are packed for export.

This started out as a Ministry of Commerce and Industry project, with foreign assistance from the government of Spain's Andalucia region. However, when this reporter went to take these pictures, he met a delegation from the Ministry of Social Development on the site. That ministry has decided that the new market will be a convenient place to locate offices for social service programs that serve fisher families, so that expansion is being added to the project.

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