The Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food has enabled 7.339 additional days for the trawler fleet of Spanish Mediterranean with the aim of maintaining operations until the end of the year and avoiding supply shortages. This decision comes after several negotiations with the European Commission and allows ships to plan departures during a key part of the year.
With the expansion, the average per vessel increases to 130 to 143 days, which means 13 extra days per ship for the 557 boats that fish in the Mediterranean and its adjacent waters. As the department has emphasized, the measure offers certainty and stability to shipowners and crews in preparation for the Christmas season.
What changes with the expansion?
The extraordinary allocation ensures that the fleet can plan your tides until the end of the fiscal year, a decisive aspect in a period of high demand for fish and seafoodIn practice, this prevents premature stopping and provides a Operating margin to the brotherhoods.
The Ministry will implement the extension as emergency measure and will communicate the exact availability to each ship through individual resolutions. In this way, the extra days are adapted to the particular situation of each ship. BoatTaking into account the effort already made and the mandatory stops.
The industry views the announcement as a oxygen balloonAlthough some organizations had calculated that to get through the final stretch of the year smoothly, they needed around 18 business days additional. Even so, the increase will allow us to reach the key dates with more ease.
The department led by Luis Planas has emphasized that obtaining these days was the result of a technical monitoring detailed information on the activity and the use of compensation mechanisms authorized by the EU, in coordination with the sector itself.
Allocation of days and notification to the ships
The distribution of the 7.339 extra days will be adjusted to individual criteria per vessel, taking into account its history and closed seasons and holidays. The Administration is sending the official notifications to each holder with the additional days assigned.
In some fishing brotherhoods along the Catalan and Valencian coast, the news has been received as a relief valve After weeks of uncertainty due to the exhaustion of available days, the new allocations will facilitate the resumption of departures in December and avoid gaps on offer at fish markets and markets.
The sector, however, insists on the need for a greater predictability At the beginning of the year, plans are made for investments and crews. The expansion alleviates the immediate problem, but several skippers point out that they are still very fair of days.
Sources from the Ministry emphasize that the measure allows shipowners and sailors to face the final months with stabilityavoiding an abrupt shutdown of activity before Christmas and ensuring the supply of fresh produce.
European context and selectivity measures
The EU had set a very severe initial cut for this year in fishing effort in the western Mediterranean, reaching up to 27 days of activity. Spain, along with France and Italy, managed to reverse that scenario with more selective management measures.
Among the accepted conditions is the increase in mesh size, closed seasons and changes in arts such as flying doorswhich reduce the impact on the seabed and fuel consumption. These adjustments allowed for a recovery of around 130 days on average per ship, to which 13 extra days are now added.
The Commission and the Member States have emphasized that the increase in working hours must be accompanied by more sustainable practices, with the presence of observers or scientists on board during certain operations and more detailed monitoring of the effort.
The Ministry points out that the balance between activity and species recovery It is the line of work that allows for the compatibility of employment, supply and sustainability, and that the advances in selectivity will continue to be key in future decisions.
Territorial impact: Catalonia, Valencian Community and other ports
The measure benefits the entire trawling fleet, with a direct impact on ports such as Barcelona, ​​Tarragona, La Rà pita or l'Ametlla de Marand in numerous towns in the Valencian Community. In the province of Castellón, for example, 61 boats are within the scope of application.
In the Tarragona area, they operate around a long twenty of trawlers, who had already adjusted their schedules to prioritize December. With the new dates, they will be able to resume outings and take advantage of the best holiday prices.
The announcement also comes in response to warnings from several brotherhoods that alerted to a possible shortage if working hours were not extended. With the allocation, the Administration affirms that the Christmas offer in the fish markets.
In some ports, part of the fleet was already there docked Due to a lack of available days, this increased pressure on costs and employment. The extension allows for the relief of this tension in the short term, while awaiting a stable framework for next year.
What's next: negotiations for 2026
The EU Fisheries Council will address in December the framework for 2026. Spain will defend a balance that maintains activity and sustainabilitysupported by selectivity measures and recent scientific data on the state of populations.
The sector demands predictability and planning capacity since the beginning of the year, after two consecutive years in which the closing has depended on last-minute extensionsThe community agenda will determine the level of effort for the next campaign.
With the 13 extra days Now on the table, the Mediterranean trawling fleet gains room to meet commercial commitments and ease pressure on ports and fish markets, while the regulatory path that will set the course for the sector in the coming months is being refined.
