The vessels affected by the suspension come from various regions of the country.
Ministerio de Agricultura, Pesca y Alimentación
The Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries, and Food in Spain has announced grants totaling 1,200,000 euros for Spanish fishing vessel owners affected by the temporary suspension of fishing activities in French waters due to the spatiotemporal ban which aimed to reduce incidental cetacean captures.
Through these grants fishing vessel owners who could not operate in France's exclusive economic zone in ICES area 8 between January 22 and February 20, 2024, will mitigate the economic consequences.
To benefit from this initiative, vessels must be over 8 meters in length and use bottom trawl gear, pair trawl, purse seine, small mesh gillnets, and/or entangling nets, drift nets, or fly nets.
The vessels affected by the suspension come from more than one autonomous community, so grant management and payment will be in charge of the General Secretariat of Fisheries. Additionally, the maximum grant amount may cover up to 100% of the eligible costs.
Spanish workers remained in port between January 22 and February 20 2024 and consequently reduced accidental cetacean catches, after suffering another French ban.
Precisely, the French government established a closure decree in the Bay of Biscay and Spain compensated the fishermen affected. A total of 400 French boats and 41 Spanish ones were involved, although 20 went to fish in other waters, and currently, 21 are affected.