European Nautic Show Concludes with Industry Growth and Fish Conservation
Last day of the Nautic Show today for the third edition of the European nautical fair, which opened on February 10 at the Centro Fiera di Montichiari. The organizers declare themselves satisfied and speak of an “extraordinary edition” that has been covered by the leading industry magazines, while the 280 exhibitors are excited with “sales and bookings beyond all expectations.”
The booths of the Marina Militare (offering videos and scale models), the Guardia Costiera, the Province (present with the Fisheries Department), and the Riva Yachts of the Ferretti Group, who launched their latest luxury speedboat, the “Aquariva,” were very popular. The exhibition events are also coming to an end, and after yesterday’s success of the Ipanema Show, today features the showgirl Alessia Mancini.
Timetable and events at the fair
The Nautic Show will remain open from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Within the exhibition, the provincial Department of Hunting and Fishing has set up its own stand, generating a lot of interest. This attention continued even after the closing, within the same event, of “Pescare 2001,” the fishing trade show held last weekend.
The initiative of this stand aims to promote awareness of our fish fauna and fishing, which play a significant role regionally. There are approximately 40,000 amateur fishermen in Brescia, and about one hundred professionals, across a territory with an extensive and complex hydrographic network, characterized by diverse environments—from plains and valleys to lakes.
Promotion of fishing and environmental protection
“Fishing has considerable value both on a sporting and cultural level,” notes Alessandro Sala, the assessor. “It is a qualitatively important activity that entails a desire to understand the environment broadly and a wish to live in direct contact with nature.”
The assessor visited the fair stand several times and expressed satisfaction with the results achieved. The stand provided thousands of visitors the opportunity to see our local fish up close (a fish tank was set up), ask questions about the service activities, fishing regulations, and receive brochures and publications produced by the department.
Two main themes are especially important for the assessor: promoting knowledge about fishing and protecting aquatic fauna; and the breeding and reproduction of valuable fish species. “I am convinced that the principle of fairness and respect,” explains Sala, “needs to be particularly emphasized to young people, who are instinctively attracted to fish and curious about fishing activities.”
Reaching school children to teach them about the various fish species in our waters, how and when to enjoy nature’s richness while respecting laws and regulations, should be the first necessary step toward raising aware and responsible adults.
In this perspective, the department has been organizing, with great success, educational programs in middle schools since last year (this year, the number of participating schools has been very high), involving students and teachers in a series of theoretical lessons, practical activities, and guided visits.
The current condition of watercourses and lakes also makes restocking interventions essential, especially for native species, which are subject to fishing pressure and have difficult natural reproduction. The provincial Fisheries Department directly supports, through its own facilities and indirectly through agreements and contributions to fishing associations or related entities, artificial reproduction of valuable fish species. This involves complex procedures, carried out with advanced methods, aimed at producing high-quality young fish that retain the traits of natural environments.
The goal is also to support the productivity of lake basins through provincial incubation facilities and to encourage, involving local associations from Brescia’s valleys and interested municipalities, the creation of valley incubation centers for the reproduction of high-quality salmonids. Alongside the Ponte Caffaro hatchery, the hatcheries of the Alta Valle Camonica and Upper Garda are soon to be established, while efforts will be made to find a suitable location for the valley hatchery of Valle Trompia.