Aerostar dona anclas y boyas a los pescadores locales
Jaime Pabón, Aerostar’s environmental director (right), hands a buoy to fisherman Armengot Rivera.
Looking to kick off this year’s Earth Month celebration, Aerostar Airport Holdings on Wednesday donated 50 buoys and 50 anchors to fisherman’s cooperatives in Piñones, Las Margaritas and La Coal in San Juan, a contribution worth about $10,000, company CEO Agustín Arellano said.
“”We know the commendable efforts fishermen make, especially during these days leading to Easter to cover the high demand for fish,” Arellano said. “These materials were used as a turbidity barrier during the expansion of Runway 08/26’s safety area and the end of the project we decided to put the equipment to good use.”
“We hope this initiative will be of great help because we know the need for anchors and buoys among cooperatives,” said Arellano.
The Las Margaritas Fishermen’s Co-op is adjacent to the Luis Muñoz Marín International airport, which Aerostar manages, through the Laguna San José. Meanwhile, the Piñones co-op works along the airport’s eastern flank, at Laguna Torrecilla. Both bodies of water are nurseries for many commercial species and are part of the San Juan Bay Estuary.
“This event marks the beginning of the celebration of Earth month and demonstrates Aerostar’s commitment with neighboring communities and the environment,” the executive noted.
Among the company’s initiatives to protect natural resources is the implementation of a recycling program at the airport, which the airlines have joined and soon will spread to promote the participation of the passengers. The company also completed the mitigation plan for the Villa Virgina farm in Loíza, an effort that called for keep 85 acres of valuable ecological area in top condition to compensate for the environmental impact assessment carried out at the airport.
Aerostar also conducts monthly bird and wild life surveys, among other efforts.
