The Valencian Community is seeing a focused effort to support its fishing sector through a policy review conducted during the Consell plenary session. The session examined a report from the Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock and Fisheries that advocates allocating targeted funds to the Ministry of Agriculture. The proposed move is to carry out selective scrapping of the least profitable vessels. The document notes that because the European Union Council of Fisheries Ministers recently decided to further cut the number of annual fishing days in the Western Mediterranean, the Ministry of Agriculture joined forces with Andalusia and Murcia to present a plan for the surgical dismantling of wooden boats, a step driven by the shortage of insurers and skilled repair professionals in the sector.
According to the report, this measure would remove at most 32 vessels with the specified characteristics from the Valencian Community. The distribution would be six ships in Castellón, eight in Valencia, and 18 in Alicante. This adjustment would affect 16.5 percent of the 203 trawling catches tied to this type of activity. Even with the downsizing, the policy allows for up to 4,000 fishing days to be allocated, distributed as deemed appropriate across base ports to sustain operations where they are most needed.
The document also highlights that the ministry is making serious efforts to revitalize fishing guilds. Within this context, the authorities underscore the establishment of a fair distribution system designed to determine the level of aid while ensuring a guaranteed minimum amount and a variable component. The calculation aims to reflect objective parameters such as the weight of catches, invoicing, the number of boats assigned to each base port, and personnel expenses. The overarching goal is to maintain a stable economic footprint for the fishing communities while aligning with broader EU and national strategies for sustainable fisheries management. In practice, this means balancing financial support with ongoing investment in port infrastructure, safety measures, and training for crews to adapt to evolving regulatory requirements and market conditions. The approach also seeks to reduce financial risk for base ports, ensuring that aid reaches vessels and crews that demonstrate sustained activity and clear adherence to reporting and compliance standards. Through this framework, the Valencian Community intends to preserve fishing livelihoods while promoting responsible harvesting practices that benefit the ecosystem and the regional economy alike.