The Angelo Vassallo Foundation relaunches its defense of the menaica net: a thousand-year-old tradition at risk.

The Angelo Vassallo Sindaco Pescatore Foundation has relaunched its fight to protect the menaica net, a traditional fishing tool that represents one of the Mediterranean's oldest and most precious maritime traditions.

During a public meeting held in Fuscaldo, Calabria, the Foundation's President, Dario Vassallo, emphasized the importance of changing the classification of driftnets to gillnets. This regulatory change would overcome current restrictions and promote a selective, sustainable fishing method that respects the marine ecosystem.

The proposal, already advanced in previous months with a formal request to the Campania Region, has received the support of prominent institutional figures, such as the Vice President of the Chamber of Deputies, Sergio Costa, and regional councilors Nino Simeone and Giovanni Maria Cuofano of the Fico Presidente Group. The latter have initiated discussions with the relevant regional councilor to include the issue among the priorities of the next Regional Fisheries and Aquaculture Plan.

"The menaica net is not just a fishing tool, but a symbol of a millennia-old culture that has combined hard work and respect for the sea," said Dario Vassallo. "Introduced to the Italian coasts as early as the Magna Graecia era, this tradition today risks being penalized by an administrative classification that fails to recognize its unique characteristics. We call on the Campania Region to restore dignity to this cultural and productive heritage."

The Foundation emphasizes that protecting menaica is much more than a simple terminological issue: it recognizes a fundamental historical, cultural, and environmental heritage for Mediterranean communities. The hope is that a dialogue will be initiated between the fishing community, experts, and institutions to promote a practice that for centuries has demonstrated the possibility of combining human activity and marine protection.

Defending the menaica means protecting the history of fishermen, marine biodiversity, and promoting a sustainable, authentic development model rooted in local traditions to be passed on to future generations.