EU days allowed for bottom trawling have been sharply reduced, and this policy shift is directly impacting catches. In Alicante province, fishermen’s associations reported in 2023 a 25 percent drop in landed fish compared with four years earlier, the moment the restrictions began. That amounts to about 2,600 tons less fish, a toll that is hitting the sector hard. And these claims come with no sign of relief from the government in Madrid, which has ruled out funding for scrapping part of the fleet.
Since 2020, the European Union has pursued a sustainability-based approach that includes aggressive cuts to western Mediterranean bottom-trawling. This year the cut has been the most dramatic. At first, some expected a reduction of roughly 15 days of fishing, but the final plan limits the season to 125 days for the 120 trawlers based in Alicante, compared with 240 days before the restrictions. This is a decisive blow to the sector, triggering anger among crews who see their main source of income narrowed to a fraction of what they enjoyed before the changes.
And this reduction in fishing days is reflected in the catches. Sector officials say that Alicante’s fishing cooperatives closed 2023 with 7,800 tons of landed fish, well short of the 10,400 tons recorded before the cuts began. The decline has progressed steadily over the last four years, in step with a tightening Brussels progressively imposed through vetoes and tighter environmental standards.
The drop in catches naturally affects the economic side as well, though calculating the exact losses is intricate. The value of the fishery depends on the species caught, market prices, and the quantity landed. Still, various sources estimate losses could approach ten million euros.
Another layer of stress comes from the perceived lack of consideration for fishermen’s demands. The cooperatives and the Generalitat Valenciana had proposed a fund to enable selective scrapping of the least profitable boats, particularly wooden vessels, which face maintenance and insurance challenges. The intention was to eliminate about 32 boats in the Valencian Community, including 18 in Alicante, thereby redistributing fishing days among the remaining boats. This plan would have offered a path back to profitability for many crews by balancing days at sea with more selective gear and management practices.
However, the plan did not gain approval. It was defended last week by sector representatives and regional governments from Andalucía, Catalonia, the Balearic Islands, Murcia, and the Valencian Community in a meeting with national ministry officials, yet no agreement was reached. Juan Mulet, secretary of the Provincial Federation of Alicante Fishermen’s Co-operatives, explains that the concessions offered were limited to higher bonuses and a slight increase in fishing days in exchange for stricter closures and the use of more selective nets and techniques. The sector regards these measures as inadequate because the cuts have squeezed profitability to the point where many operators have little to no margin left. Fishermen have urged the ministry to implement a system that prevents workers from exhausting unemployment benefits when boats stay tied up at the port due to the cuts.
[Citation: Sector sources and regional authorities describe the economic and operational impact of fishing restrictions in Alicante and neighboring regions.]