In a few weeks when the weather was regular for fishing, the fish shortages in the sea were compensated by the high prices as a rule. Fishermen’s associations in Asturias consider Christmas, a period that has always played a key role in the sector’s economy As some of its members have emphasized, it is no longer the same as before. There are nuances in balance depending on the coastal region.
It “is no longer available as such” in the view of the Christmas fishing campaign. Ramon Alvarez, the ruler of the rule of Avilés, which sells the most fish in Asturias. And no more, because consumer habits prolong purchases much longer, and the sea is often in high demand for bream, sea bass, viceroy, pixin and other “good fish”, which are no longer as generous as before. Christmas tables. The shelving of shellfish – at least the “wild” ones – isn’t what it used to be. Of course, the Avilesina rule, more or less, in the days before Christmas Eve and New Year’s Eve, although lower than in the years before the covid pandemic, it reached prices well above the normal average. “But the scene with tons of sea bream waiting for buyers is a thing of the past,” Álvarez says.
In addition to these new market dynamics and the growing scarcity of select items, the fact that the weather conditions this year are not so good for going fishing; The action of strong currents was also recorded, which, according to the slang of professionals, “dizzled the fish” and minimized catches or discouraged boat owners from going directly to work. worse
According to the rule of La Arena, which specializes in juvenile eels, according to the master pattern, eloy sopena, a “mediocre” Christmas. And the reason this was so is because November’s “dark” (new moon) was profitable (about 300 kilos) for hunting purposes, but December was “mediocre” (about 120 kilos). The larger sandy pattern attributes the decline in eel catches to the higher temperatures recorded in December.. The eels sold at La Arena at Christmas averaged around 500 euros per kilo. “The only good thing about the campaign was the price,” Sopeña consoles herself.
In Luanco, another fishing port in the Aviles region, Christmas passed “without pain and glory,” according to the mayor’s boss. José Luis Gutierrez. “The sea was not suitable for almost daily fishing, and even shellfish fishing was complex. These were dates of scarce fishing,” he sums up.
Fishermen’s associations in the West are happy with the Christmas season. Chief Patron of the Puerto de Vega Fishermen’s Association, adolfo garcia, the data reveal this satisfactorily: “Fish and shellfish sold well, sea bream reached 80 euros at the Luarca fraternity, and mussels reached 269 euros per kilo at the Puerto de Vega fraternity.” He also adds that “the weather has followed a bit” and although it wasn’t “very good” in the stable condition, it was very well priced due to the bad weather they experienced in Galicia.
Viavélez stock analysis model, Jose Manuel Garcia, which emphasizes that “we always have a pretty good price at Christmas” and that “we can do the job well” when the weather is nice. He gives the example of sea bass and mussels, whose weight reaches 35 euros: “They benefited because the catch was low, and they were good prices.”
The fishing campaign this Christmas in eastern Asturias failed, as representatives of the fraternities in the region noted. “Small catches, very bad weather and prices were good, but not excessive,” they say of the Fellowship of Santa María de Sábada de Lastres. And although prey may seem scarce, a greater abundance of fish compared to molluscs or crustaceansand its high price has been a lifesaver for the markets. Eastern fishermen confirm that sales have increased compared to previous years, although they say they will not be “excited”. A similar tonic that lives in the Llanes and Ribadesella fraternities. “Prices have increased because there is less catch,” they explain. They praise the high cost, but in turn deplore the scarcity of the product and the limitations in shellfish hunting: “Fish was scarce, but it’s true that it was sold at a high price. Shellfish was also scarce, but because almost everything was banned”. Regarding prices, they perceived a slight decline before the last day of the year, but rose again in January as confirmed. With all this, fishermen evaluate these festivities and think positively: prices manage to alleviate the shortage of goods. They say that sea bass, mussel, spider crab, eel, sea bream and anchovy stand out among the most demanded species.
At Candás, the Christmas campaign turned out better than expected. “We didn’t trust it to sell so well because in the end there are only three boats here, but it’s true that prices haven’t changed much from one year to the next,” the guild secretary says. Crabs and shrimps were the star products at the end of the year, although some mussels were also sold. Of course, “smaller than other times. It was a coincidence that the tides were in the afternoon and the weather was pretty bad.so it wasn’t caught as well as in other years.” Yet the balance couldn’t have been better: “It was pretty good for the little ones going out to sea”.
The six boats currently active in the San Miguel de Tazones fraternity also value the festivities very positively. “All the bad weather we had in November turned out to be good in December. So we were very lucky and this showed itself in fishing,” emphasizes the fisherman. Sergio Garcia. They are one of those who choose to keep the price fixed and not raise it. “We almost always sell to the same people, so we decided not to raise prices,” he explains. In the port of Mali, they mainly work with shellfish, and the main fish is spider crab.