The head of the Secretariat General of Fisheries expressed the Spanish government’s commitment to take the necessary legislative changes for the Canarian fishery to be a fishery targeting bluefin tuna, within the corresponding quotas, to the European Union (EU) and to the next meeting of the International Convention for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas (ICCAT).
In addition, the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Environment (Magrama) intends the fishing season to match the presence of the bluefin tuna in the waters of the Canary Islands.
Secretary Carlos Dominguez made these remarks after meeting with the Canarian Executive delegate, Maria del Carmen Hernandez Bento; the president of the Fisheries Committee of the European Parliament, Gabriel Mato; and Canarian fishing industry representatives to discuss the problems faced by the bluefin tuna fishery on the islands.
The local fishing industry raised several issues related to the corresponding quota to the Canarian vessels, the ban season, the condition of targeted fishing or of incidental fishing activities, and the time of publication of the regulations.
According to Dominguez, “because the fishing activity is carried out earlier this year, they are interested in having them published as soon as possible.”
The secretary praised the meeting as “very constructive” and highlighted the fact that the Canarian fleet welcomed the inclusion of a maneuver fund in the new standard for artisanal fisheries.
“The Government is to use the maneuver fund of the 93 tonnes that have been obtained in the latest meeting of Agadir, due in large part to the efforts of the Spanish delegation to primarily support the work of the artisanal fleets,” he stated.
For the central Administration, artisanal fleets “have been the most seriously hit in recent years due to the reduction of the bluefin tuna quota,” the Magrama reported.
Dominguez also expressed the Secretariat’s willingness to “set a strict control of catches to avoid any type of overfishing” together with the industry and the Canary Islands.
Finally, he denied the fact that the 2013 bluefin tuna catch quota distribution “alters” the economic results of the almadrabas (tuna trap fisheries).
Spain has a quota of 2,504 tonnes and 656 tonnes were allocated to the almadrabas, the same volume as in 2012.
The official explained that some operators were demanding “extra” tonnes from the maneuver fund, which will have 93 tonnes. And he noted that if that volume had been distributed with the criteria they requested, “each almadraba would have been allocated additional five tonnes,” the agency EFE reports.
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