The authorities in the south of Spain have delivered confiscated over-quota fish to food banks, as the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food handed over 1600kg of tuna and 991kg of anchovy.
Eleven tuna weighing over 1600kg were seized in the port of Tarifa in an operation coordinated between the Fisheries Inspection Services of the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food and the air and sea service of the Civil Guard, as part of activities to combat IUU fishing.
These vessels concerned now face heavy financial penalties and the withdrawal of their bluefin tuna fishing permits. The seized tuna were been delivered to the Campo de Gibraltar Food Bank.
Bluefin tuna is subject to strict international control regulations. In addition to the control measures to monitor quotas and the individual labelling of the captured specimens, the fisheries inspection services carries out specific operations both to monitor and inspect the authorised fishing fleet and recreational fisheries.
A separate operation in the port of El Grao, in Castellón monitors the catch limits established for anchovies and sardines in the purse seine fishery, under which the management plan sets a weekly limit of 13,500kg of anchovy catch per vessel.
Ministry inspectors established that one boat exceeded this weekly limit by 991kg, and confiscated the excess amount. This has been donated to the Food Bank and to Cáritas in Castellón.
