The decision taken at this year’s December Council to further reduce days at sea for fishing activity in the Mediterranean is an ongoing cause of frustration for the Spanish fishing sector and industry body Cepesca.
In addition to the 10% reduction in the red shrimp catch, the reduction of days at sea by 79% comes with a complex suite of mitigation mechanisms in terms of fishing gear alterations, mesh size regulations and both temporary and permanent spacial closures. Cepesca points out that these mechanisms are an additional burden on top of the sacrifices of the last five years, and which will entail additional costs that ‘will cause fishermen and vessels to be unable to continue,’ according to Cepesca general secretary Javier Garat.
He states that over the last five years the Mediterranean sector has already seen fishing opportunities reduced by 40%, has changed mesh for greater selectivity, and temporary and permanent bans have been created to protect juvenile stocks.
‘The Mediterranean fishing sector is at its limits after five years of effort and all this means is another turn of the screw,’ Javier Garat said.
‘What is needed now is to do the math in the ports, in each Autonomous Community and in the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food and see what is possible to comply with in order to continue with the activity. Even so, it is also necessary to define what type of aid will be allocated to be able to assume these costs, if they will be allowed to come from EMFAF and, if applicable, in what percentage, amount and when.’
The agreement reached in Brussels sets out that fishermen will be able to use compensation mechanisms to be able to add fishing days to those already reduced. A total of six measures have been proposed that Cepesca states will require an additional cost that not all fishermen will be able to bear.
The proposal is for 45mm square mesh for coastal fisheries and 50mm for deeper grounds.
‘This may be effective for red shrimp catches in many fishing areas, but in the case of coastal fisheries for demersal fish, there is scientific evidence that a 45mm square mesh, on certain fishing grounds, will mean a considerable reduction in catches that could seriously affect the economic performance of the boats and, therefore, the viability of the companies,’ Javier Garat said.
‘In short, we believe that in many cases fishing will not be profitable and, unfortunately, we will see how the decisions taken in Brussels will sink many fishermen.
