Alicante’s fishing market has reopened after the company that managed the facilities gave up the concession nearly two years ago. And he did this through a new company that, in a sense, inherited the previous one, since its partners Francisco José Mira and Pablo Díaz were already part of this venture. The new journey, which aims to consolidate the project, started with good feelings. In the first week of operation, 16 ships unloaded 55,000 kilos of fish using the facilities.. The aim is to expand this fleet as much as possible and add new services such as rest rooms for seafarers, supermarkets and ATMs.
Llotja d’Alacant, as its previous management company was called, has been subject to the impact of the coronavirus pandemic; this was one of the factors that led to it giving up the franchise and disbanding as a company. Now a new company, Lonja Pesquera de Alicante, has taken overafter taking over the direct management of the facilities last September without the need to participate in a public tender, as the previously held tender was invalid due to the absence of interested parties.
Against this background, the fish market reopened its doors last week and, moreover, had a high level of activity. According to Pablo Díaz, one of its managers, The facilities serve four fishing vessels operating in the port of Alicante, as well as other fishing vessels from Murcia and Almería that fish in these waters. and because of the proximity, they decided to leave their prey here. Since then, 55,489 kilograms of fish, mainly sardines and anchovies, have been landed, although this week’s activity was less intense due to the poor state of the sea.
Díaz underlines that to guarantee the viability of the project, a number of measures were adopted, which initially included reducing the size of the facilities. For this reason, Only 1,440 of the approximately 2,800 square meter fish market building was occupied, allowing rates to be reduced. Of course, there is a goal of expanding this area in the future, given that the new company’s goal is to increase the number of ships served and try to find a ship that will set Alicante as its home port.
Similarly, It is planned to create a rest and recreation area for sailors, a supermarket with basic products and an ATM.. It is also aimed to open the auctions to education centers and organize guided tours.