Julio Morón Ayala has been appointed the new president of Spanish Fisheries Confederation (CEPESCA) by its board of directors.
Julio Morón replaces Juan Manuel Liria Franch, who has held this position since the death in 2020 of Amador Suárez , who held the presidency of Cepesca since its foundation in 2007.
With a long career in fisheries at both national and international level, and from the dual perspective of management and the study of biological sustainability, Julio Morón sailed as an observer on board fishing vessels of various types and on different fishing grounds, such as the Falklands, the Central Atlantic and the Gulf of Cádiz, following the completion of his studies at Complutense University of Madrid.
He was subsequently an FAO associate expert for the Indo-Pacific Tuna Programme (IPTP) in Sri Lanka, after which he collaborated with the Spanish Institute of Oceanography (IEO) directing the Spanish Fisheries Office, answering to the Spanish General Secretariat of Fisheries, in the Seychelles archipelago.
In 1997, he was appointed scientific advisor to the Organization of Associated Producers of Large Freezer Tuna Vessels (OPAGAC) , under which a high proportion of the Spanish tuna fleet with operations in the Indian, Pacific and Atlantic oceans is grouped, and in 2007 succeeded Gabriel Sarró as its managing director.
In this role Julio Morón spearheaded one of the most ambitious projects in the Spanish fishing sector by converting the Spanish tuna fleet into the first in the world to operate under a quality label ( Responsible Fishing Tuna, APR ), integrating certification not only in terms of sustainability, but also to social and labour standards.
He has been first vice-president of CEPESCA since 2021 and is a member of the Royal Academy of the Sea and president of Group 4 of the Long Distance Advisory Council of the European Union (LDAC) .
Commenting on the future development of fisheries, he commented that ‘the only way, in my opinion, to develop it with guarantees for the future, biologically, socially and economically.’
During the same Board of Directors that appointed Julio Morón as president, tribute was also paid to Manuel Liria , who throughout his professional life has decisively contributed to the promotion of fishing associations and the defense of Spanish fisheries, and decided to step down after 25 years to make way for a new president.
