The Undersecretary of Fisheries and Aquaculture, Raul Súnico, said: "From the first day after the earthquake and tsunami, the Government has deployed teams and the effort needed to respond to the emergency as soon as possible. Today, with the delivery of this cheque, we will fulfill the commitment we made to the artisanal fisheries sector to recover its production capacity."
Mr Súnico, alongside the National Director of Sernapesca, José Miguel Burgos, also visited Starline shipyards, in order to assess the progress of new vessel construction which will be delivered to fishermen in the Coquimbo region who lost their ships due to the earthquake and tsunami on 17 September.
"We want the fishermen in the Coquimbo region to be able to recover their ships and their productive capacity as soon as possible. Therefore, we are making contact personally with the companies that are engaging in this task," said the Secretary.
The updated land damage from the earthquake and tsunami in the Fourth Region, indicates that 97 boats have been partially damaged, 114 have total loss and also 198 must replace their engines.
