About a thousand Moroccan fishing boats operate in the Alboran Sea, close to Spanish waters, where illegal networks have caused the deaths of numerous people and severely threatened marine mammals. Environmental organizations condemned these actions, accusing Spanish and European authorities of inaction in the face of ongoing protection failures.
Marine conservation groups Alnitak and Equinac notified the General Directorate of Civil Guards about illegal fishing in the Alboran Sea and urged the Spanish government along with the European Union to enforce regulations on pirated fishing nets and curb the import of this fish into the EU. They argued that stronger controls are needed to prevent the spread of unlawful gear and to safeguard vulnerable species from drift nets that ghost-haunt the sea.
Alnitak and Equinac have been actively intercepting illegal nets known as the “death screens,” which have led to the incidental capture of thousands of marine mammals and other endangered species aboard the research vessel Toftevaag since early May. The crew aboard Alnitak traced a broad pattern of piracy, reporting entanglements that have disrupted marine ecosystems and endangered cetaceans and sea turtles along the coast.
Toftevaag, operating under the banner of Alnitak, spent the entire month of May conducting operations in the Alboran Sea to disrupt illegal nets. In the first twenty days, the expedition documented six net anglers and recovered four instances of ghost fishing gear used in drift net practices, underscoring the persistent threat to wildlife and the fishing commons.
Dead dolphins photographed and reported in the Alborán waters have become an emblematic consequence of these nets, with rescue teams and researchers recognizing the toll on marine life. The effort by Alnitak and Equinac aims to document the scope of the problem and press authorities to act swiftly to halt this practice and remove derelict gear from the sea.
Current tallies cited by the groups show a troubling horizon: hundreds of boats and thousands of kilometers of illegal nets have been recorded at Moroccan Mediterranean ports, a sign of transboundary pressure that complicates enforcement. The organizations stressed that decisive measures are needed to shut down pirate fishing and prevent illegal product entries into the market, including stricter port controls and import regulations within the EU framework.
One representative emphasized that the objective is to prevent pirate fishermen from undermining legitimate fleets and to compel the responsible bodies to uphold the law, including the Ministry of Ecological Transition, the Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries, and DGMARE. The protest reflects the growing discontent within the Spanish fishing community, which views national and European authorities as slow to respond to illegal fishing operations across North Africa, Morocco, Algeria, and parts of southern Europe, including Italy.
The center is full of injured animals
Eva María Morón, coordinator of Equinac’s marine fauna rescue center, described the situation as a yearly crisis. She noted that the center remains saturated by the influx of cetaceans and sea turtles that arrive along the Almería shore, victims of entanglement in nets placed far offshore and drifting into coastal zones. Rescue teams report an ongoing struggle to treat and rehabilitate animals injured by these nets, highlighting the urgent need for prevention over rescue alone.
Photographs and field notes compiled by the organizations show the persistent impact on protected species and the broader ecosystem. Scientific work presented to ICATT years earlier established the significant harm caused by these networks to the Moroccan fleet, reporting thousands of dolphins and turtles and tens of thousands of sharks affected each year in relation to this fishing method.
In a recent statement, conservation groups highlighted that the United States and the European Union had previously supported efforts to reform the Moroccan fleet, including substantial funding to convert vessels and eliminate the most damaging nets. They also recalled that since 2010 the Spanish longline fleet had alerted authorities in Madrid, Brussels, ICCAT, and the General Fisheries Council of the Mediterranean about an increasing presence of vessels employing these nets across North Africa and even in Calabria and other Italian ports. The aim was to push for coordinated enforcement and maritime governance that curbs illegal gear and protects vulnerable populations.
In a follow-up modeling effort conducted last year, researchers sought to determine whether illegal hunting truly persisted in the Alboran Sea. The results indicated the existence of nearly 1,000 ships using illegal nets and more than 2,200 kilometers of pirate networks—double the extent reported before 2010. Alnitak submitted data and images from the campaign to the Spanish Government, the European Commission, ICCAT, and GFCM, underscoring a perceived lack of political resolve to confront a situation that threatens the Mediterranean’s protected megafauna. The researchers urged action and accountability, arguing that inaction on this issue brings a heavy moral price for coastal communities and their wildlife alike.
The campaign is part of a broader, multi-decade effort by Alnitak to monitor protected species and track population trends. They have documented significant declines in cetacean populations, including notable reductions in family group sizes for dolphins and pilot whales in the Alboran region, a trend that signals distress across the marine food web and habitat. The ongoing struggle against pirate nets continues to be a central focus of regional conservation work and policy advocacy, with scientists and NGOs calling for stronger enforcement, better monitoring, and international cooperation to secure a safer future for the Mediterranean’s marine life.
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Note: The information presented reflects the ongoing concerns of environmental organizations regarding illegal fishing practices and their impact on marine ecosystems in the Alboran Sea and adjacent waters. The discussion emphasizes the need for enhanced governance, enforcement, and regional collaboration to protect vulnerable species and sustain legitimate fisheries.