20 June 2009, 19:00
In Georgia, fishermen block Poti-Batumi Highway
Today, fishermen from the city of Poti have blocked the Poti-Batumi Highway in Georgia for a couple of hours. The picketers demanded from the authorities to allow them fishing at sea and in Lake Paliastomi, located near Poti.
The activists told journalists that fishing needs licenses, which are practically inaccessible for them because of high price, therefore, fishermen and their families remain without earnings.
"Almost all fishing licenses were bought out by Turkish fishermen, but we have no money, and we demand from the authorities to drop the license cost for Georgian fishermen," the "Interfax" quotes one of the protesters.
The picket in the highway was lifted with arrival of a large police unit. The top officials of Poti have promised fishermen to lobby their interests in the parliament of Georgia, as reported by "Gazeta.Ru".
