Projects like rapansel, promoted by the Spanish Institute of Oceanography (IEO) and the Shipowners Cooperative of the Port of Vigo (ARVI), clearly show how sustainability can advance even with simple gear choices. In five intensive campaigns conducted from 2018 to 2022, Pescaberbés ThreeResearchers evaluated several network designs, some newer and more experimental, to cut bycatch without sacrificing the usual catch volume. The goal was to keep large hake or the cockerel fish that this vessel targets in Gran Sol waters, while excluding juveniles and other species not part of its fishing plan.
The more selective a piece of equipment, the lower its impact on the ecosystem, and such initiatives have been replicated across Europe to improve the status of certain fish populations. This is supported by the study “Improving selectivity in EU fisheries,” commissioned by the European Parliament and released recently. The European Maritime and Fisheries Fund (EMFF) has backed 1,493 community vessels to boost selectivity over the last decade.
From 2014 to 2023, Brussels pledged 12.5 million euros, benefiting ten member states—Spain among them. There are notable differences in how much was allocated and how many vessels utilized the funds. Nationally, close to 0.5 million people benefited, with roughly 50 ships receiving a total investment of about 10,000 euros per vessel. Around thirty purse-seine vessels emerged as the primary beneficiaries, securing nearly 80% of the funding (approximately 400,000 euros per vessel on average).
Other nations receiving funds tied to improved selectivity included Denmark, Poland, Italy, the United Kingdom, Estonia, Sweden, France, Portugal, and Finland. Regarding main fishing gears, the EMFF distributed 4.6 million euros to active gears that move through the water to meet target fish, and 6.4 million euros to passive gears that stay fixed until retrieved. The remaining amount was unspecified. By gear types, seine nets and trawls received 3 million euros each, followed by pots (1.9 million) and hooks and lines (1.4 million) as the largest beneficiaries of Europe’s share.
“Selectivity should be an integral part of the ecosystem-based approach to fishing,” states the study, urging a clearer definition of higher selectivity and the priorities for those goals. It emphasizes the need to advance knowledge about fishing practices, species behavior, and ecology, promoting international data exchange and a holistic evaluation of measures to understand the best way to implement selective fishing. To achieve this, it calls for solutions tailored to each situation, with rigorous trials to validate their effectiveness.