The cuts in fishing days implemented by the European Union (EU) for the trawler fleet are having a great impact in the province of Alicante. So much so that The industry’s catch as a whole has decreased by around 2,000 tonnes over the past three years, resulting in losses of around 9m euros.. The situation is so fragile that the 130 ships currently affected by the measure are in the air and have almost no profitability.
The policy of reducing fishing days in Mediterranean waters, implemented since 2020, means that trawlers can only fish 160 days out of the 240 they enjoyed earlier this year. This snip, logically, has a significant impact on industry activity, such that caught more than 10,000 tons of fish last year, only 8,300, according to data processed by fraternities operating in the province of Alicante. Billing has also been reduced exponentially. 43.3 million euros were reached last year, but there are nine million euros accumulated along the way, in line with the decline in catches.
The cuts have put all fishing organizations in Catalonia, the Balearic Islands, Murcia, Andalusia and the Valencian Community into a state of war.and even the opposition of the Spanish Government. But the reality is that beyond minor concessions, the roadmap devised from Brussels continued to be implemented to the letter, with the results previously announced.
And at this point, the most disturbing thing is the current plans for the coming years, which may have put an end to the sector. And, in addition to continuing to propose new cuts, the European Commission has urged Member States to ban trawling fishing in at least 20% of each country’s waters by March 2024, a step before gradually eliminating it. Activity from all marine protected areas designated as Horizon 2030.
That’s why the panorama is bleak. Juan Mulet, secretary of the Provincial Federation of Alicante Fishermen’s Associations, does not hesitate to point out that the trawlers are already on the ropes and that a new sniping will force the buoy halfway to a stop. In his words, “It’s totally impossible to go fishing for just half a year because there’s no business that can resist it.. In addition, the compensation received is completely inadequate, the workers are eating their unemployment.
An example of the effect these restrictions have is Boats only have 20 working days to go fishing this time of year.. “There’s finally a three-month break and we only bought two. We will see how we distribute those who are waiting.”
Moisés Herades, president of the Xàbia Fishermen’s Association, emphasizes that the sector is “on the edge”. Many days we have to stop and it doesn’t even help us to change the money., because there are fixed expenses that must be attended to, such as salaries and Social Security, among others. The reality is that the situation is hopeless and moreover, new cuts are being announced for next year. In the end, we will have no choice but to stop permanently.
Rafael Torres, Alicante’s largest employer, points out in similar terms that the industry is increasingly penalized and subject to more control, which greatly limits its viability. “It forces us to be unemployed without going fishing for two or three months, and this has economic consequences,” he says, noting the cuts.
But not only that, because These pauses in activity cause boats to have many difficulties in finding workers.. In his own words, “There is no one to go to the sea with, first because they want continuity that is impossible here, then because it is a difficult activity and the young people are not very enthusiastic about the work.”