Just seven days after the octopus season began, violence broke out on the coast of Telchac Puerto, where this Wednesday, August 7, local fishermen set fire to a boat, apparently coming from Dzilam de Bravo, whose fishermen were diving for small octopus fishing.
The violence broke out on Tuesday, August 6, at night, when state and municipal police, the fishermen expelled from the sheltered port several fishermen from Chuburná Puerto who entered with their boats to unload the product and deliver it to the boat fleet owner.
On Wednesday morning, a chase broke out on the high seas. Fishermen from Telchac chased two boats whose crew members were diving octopus and extracting small mollusks, which angered the pursuers.
Instead of using Jimbas (long bamboo sticks used in Yucatán and Campeche for fishing) for artisanal octopus fishing, the outsider fishermen were diving for the mollusk, and to obtain more product, they poured chlorine into the caves to force the mollusk to come out.
According to the reports collected, on Tuesday, August 6, people from Telchac Puerto detected several outsider boats near the sheltered port, whose crew members were diving for octopus.
On Wednesday, August 7, early in the morning, fishermen from Telchac went out in groups to hunt for other fishermen practicing illegal fishing. As a result of their hunt, they pursued two boats, managed to stop one, and burned it on the beach.
It is unknown what happened to the occupants of the burned boat, who are local fishermen who live in Dzilam de Bravo.
The violence began on Tuesday night, August 6, according to Mariano Tzab Sosa, permit holder of Chuburná Puerto. His boats were fishing off the coast of Telchac Puerto and entered the sheltered port to unload the captured product.
The boats docked, which those from Telchac did not like and asked for support from municipal and state police agents, and forced them to leave that fishing refuge.
Mariano Tzab told the officers that they were Mexican fishermen. Their boats had a fishing permit to work anywhere on the coast and enter sheltered ports to unload the octopus.
He recalled that when the octopus is scarce in front of Telchac, the fishermen move in front of Chuburna. Then, they allow them to enter the sheltered port and accept them to stay.
After unloading, the Chuburná boat set sail from Telchac that same Tuesday night and camped on the high seas. They fear the violence will increase and lead to more attacks and burnt boats.
TYT Newsroom
