Brazilian Fishermen's Protest Stalls Container Port

Fishermen ended a protest on Tuesday which delayed ship movement at the container shipping port of Itajai in southern Brazil, the local port authority said.

Fishermen started protesting government measures to stop fishing hundreds of endangered species on Monday, saying many of the species have commercially viable populations. They ended the protests and cleared the port's entryway on Tuesday afternoon after the government agreed to hear their proposals.

Itajai does not ship bulk grains but it is an important commercial center for frozen meat. Brazil is the world's No. 1 beef exporter.

In addition to three stalled container ships, one passenger cruise ship and a boat that services state-run oil company Petroleo Brasileiro SA, platforms were also held up, a port authority representative said.