Spain’s Fishing Industry: Regions, Methods, and Challenges
Spain’s Fishing Industry
Fishing is one of the most important primary industries in Spain, despite the outsourcing of the economy. Among the factors that determine this, the abundance of coasts is highlighted first: as a peninsula, facing the sea on three sides, Spain has exploited marine resources of different features from two seas: the Atlantic and Cantabrian, with colder waters, and the Mediterranean, with warmer waters and increased salinity. This is why Spain is in one of the first places in the world in fishing tonnage, both in terms of fish caught and the value of the fishing fleet.
However, there are other negative factors that reduce the potential of the fishing industry, such as the small Spanish continental shelf, low plankton levels, and the high temperature and salinity of Mediterranean waters. As a result, fishermen have had to resort to other fishing grounds, such as Newfoundland, Morocco, etc.
Fishing in distant fishing grounds was consolidated in the early twentieth century when technological advances, such as freezing systems, allowed for large catches in areas remote from Spanish territory. In the twentieth century, the evolution of fishing activity was also determined by other factors, such as:
- The increased consumption of fish from the 1960s, which facilitated the growth of the fishing fleet.
- In the 1970s, rising fuel prices caused a rise in fish prices. In addition, the introduction of the 200-nautical-mile exclusive economic zone (EEZ) for each country greatly hurt Spain, and some fishing grounds became exclusive to other countries. At this time, fishing was in crisis, and there was a decline in total catch.
- In recent years, modernization has led to the specialization of a few ports (Vigo, La Coruña, Cadiz, Huelva…).
- Finally, integration into the EU has meant that Spain must comply with a series of laws and regulations, and fisheries policy is managed by the European government.
The result today is that the total catch is lower, but the total value is higher because the most valued species are caught.
Mediterranean Regions
Taken together, they account for 13% of the total volume of the country. The Mediterranean region is divided into the Sudmediterránea region (from Gibraltar to Cabo de Gata), Levante (Cabo de Gata to Cabo de la Nao), Tramontana (Cabo de la Nao to Cabo de Creus), and the Balearic Islands. From north to south, the main ports are Barcelona, Tarragona, Santa Pola, Torrevieja, Cartagena, and Almeria. In the islands, Palma has more than 70% of the activity.
The main species are:
- Tramontana: bogue, mackerel, octopus, and red mullet
- Sudmediterránea: anchovy, horse mackerel, bogue, and octopus
- Levante: sardines and hake
- Balearic Islands: crustaceans
In general, fishing in this area is less rich than in the Atlantic due to natural constraints: higher average temperature, higher salinity, almost non-existent tides, and lower abundance of phytoplankton.
Types of Fishing Fleet
In Spain, the total number of fishing vessels has declined in recent years. In the 1960s, it had grown enormously, but the small size of these boats made them uncompetitive against larger vessels, and tough measures after the law of the 200-nautical-mile EEZ hindered their activities. Today, there are different types of fleets:
- Deep-sea (vessels over 250 tons of gross registered tonnage)
- High-seas (100 to 250 tons)
- Inshore or coastal fleet (20 to 100 tons)
- Family or artisanal fleet (less than 20 tons)
The last two types operate in the zone up to 60 miles offshore; the other two operate on the high seas. Of the four types, the family fleet is the only one that has risen in recent years due to the high market price of the goods seized. The coastal, offshore, and deep-sea fleets have been badly harmed by the restrictive measures regarding the limits of territorial waters.
Fishing Techniques
The main systems are:
- Surface and fence: The fish are encircled by a net attached at both ends, and bait is used to attract fish.
- Bottom systems:
- Drag: Large nets are towed along the seabed; this system is very damaging to the environment.
- Traps: Implementation of a complex maze of nets that drive the fish into the “snowflake,” where they are captured.
Today, the most modern systems include the use of helicopters, satellites, and probes to locate fish stocks.