Majorcan fishing fleet will meet again today to discuss its options.

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The local dispute over fuel prices is far from over but the Majorcan fishing fleet, whose colleagues on the mainland are continuing with their protests, agreed last night to call off a proposed blockade of the port of Palma today for two hours after the central government delegate warned them that any trawlers blocking shipping will face fines of 20 million pesetas. Earlier in the day local fishermen voted in favour of following the national protests for today between 11.00 am and 1pm, but as a third round of talks got underway in Madrid last night, the Majorcan fleet decided to call off today's protest, but fishermen are still refusing to put to sea. The fleet will remain in port as the protest against rising fuel prices rumbles on. The secretary general of the Balearic Association of Fishing Fleets, Manuel Sánchez, said yesterday that future action may be called in response to the central government delegates' decision to break up the blockade by sending in over 70 police on Tuesday night. At yesterday's meeting the fishermen discussed the CLH fuel depot blockade which nearly brought the island to its knees. Sánchez, on behalf of all the Association's members, repeated calls for central government delegate to the Balearics, Catalina Cirer to resign over Wednesday afternoon's police intervention to end the fuel depot blockade. The farmers' union has also called for her resignation after Cirer apparently went back on her word. After meeting demonstrators at the fuel depot, she said that she would “honour” the protest for 24 hours, however within hours 70-plus police were sent in to break up the dispute.