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Blog post: Protecting traditions and reviving industries

Long before Irma and Maria ripped through our archipelago, Puerto Rico’s fishermen were already up against a system rigged against them. Their catches kept shrinking while big commercial boats, backed by outside money, tried to erase our way of life. Traditions like “Mallorquin” fishing, which once kept our coastal barrios alive, were nearly wiped out as corporate greed took over the market.

Then the hurricanes hit, tearing apart the boats and homes our people built with their own hands. Fishermen lost everything: gear, docks, even the ability to reach each other. Our coastal communities were left cut off, abandoned, and forced to survive on their own.

The pandemic only made things worse. Local economies barely hung on, and the federal aid meant to help our fishermen never materialized. Millions in promised relief sat unused while our people fought to keep their towns alive. And once again, Puerto Rico was left waiting while Washington dragged its feet.

But our fishermen never gave up. Through the Federation of Fishermen and Advocates of the Sea, Inc. (FPDM as its Spanish acronym), they organized, stood up for their rights, and refused to let our traditions die. La Brega y Fuerza Fund joined forces with community leaders, advocates, and elected officials to demand the relief owed. After years of pushing and fighting, to finally break through NOAA to get the long-held back funds dispersed so the community could rebuild.

This victory let our fishermen rebuild stronger than before, but the fight is far from over. Climate change keeps heating our waters, bringing fiercer storms every year. Luxury resorts keep stealing our beaches, shutting out the very people who have lived and worked there for generations. Our energy grid is falling apart, costs keep rising, and corporate fishing giants still try to squeeze out local fishermen. The struggle continues.

Defending Puerto Rico’s fishing traditions means standing up for our culture and our people, who have been pushed aside by greed and corruption for too long. La Brega y Fuerza is still here, side by side with our fishermen, ready to keep fighting as the challenges change.

The next step is to develop climate-resilient, environmentally friendly practices in the fishing industry that help our local fishermen meet climate change challenges, modernize their equipment and facilities with solar energy to reduce carbon emissions, and increase efficiency and competitiveness. We hope to revive this industry for generations to come.