Fish For Sale in Gorgona, Panama


Fish For Sale in Gorgona, Panama

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Written by jamuna

Sunday, September 07 2008

The Gorgona Co-Operative was founded on December 15, 1997 by Mr. Dagoberto Torrero Gaona, a native to Cocle Province. Gaona belonged to the Farallón Fishing Cooperative, near Decameron. “Working as a fisherman in Farrallón, I had occasion to visit with the Gorgona fishermen. I realized their work life was difficult and the prices they were receiving for their catches were very low. So I decided to help them.”

Gaona obtained an education in “cooperativismo” (how to form and manage a cooperative), and then with the support of the then Panamanian President Ernesto Perez Balladares and other government officials, the New Gorgona Fishermen Cooperative was started.

“Here under this old tree we all signed the papers, and we agreed to make this new cooperative a success. We started with nothing, but through different activities we collected money for the new project. With all our work, perseverance and motivation, we gained not just the community credibility, but we also got recognition from our clients and national organizations”.

The Co-Operative is a member owned organization. Its membership is made up of local fishermen and community residents. “When we began, we had five fishing boats. Now we have 23 belonging to Co-Op members”. The Co-Operative buys fish from the fishermen and then sells to the public. Much of the fish is brought by their own members. However purchasing is not limited to membership only. Should an independent fisherman deliver a catch, they will buy it.

Co-Operative fishermen pay close attention to the tides, the season and the temperature of the water. Being dependant on the ocean for a living, they are careful not to overfish. For example, small mesh netting is not used during breeding seasons. From July to September when snapper (pargo) is abundant the fishermen use lines instead of nets.

At any time, the Co-Operative sells fish by the pound. You can purchase camarón (shrimp), pargo (snapper), corvine (sea bass), corvina alona, robalo, gualajo, sierra, cojinua, bagre, atun (tuna), toyo (small shark). If you are lucky there could be a catch of or langostino (jumbo shrimp). Don’t worry if you miss the morning session at the Gorgona Fishing Co-Operative, there will likely be a vendor in your neighborhood, who did make it, selling a fresh catch.

This article was printed with the permission of www.PlayaCommunity.com which offers an inside view of the Panamanian fishermen, particularly in the Panama's Pacific area.