Spain launches research campaign for sustainable Norway lobster fishery

The Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food in Spain has launched the scientific research campaign Cigala BATIUF25 aimed at collecting bathymetric data and seabed characterization along the coast of Galicia, where the presence of Norway lobsters (Nephrops norvegicus) was identified during a previous survey.

The objective of this initiative is to assess and analyze the status of the Norway lobster population in this area and to complement previous studies conducted on the Galician continental shelf.

Through this effort, the General Secretariat for Fisheries will obtain scientific data to support the adoption of targeted fisheries management measures and apply a regional approach to the conservation and sustainable exploitation of fishery resources.

All of this information will also be included in the ESPACE exploration project, focused on the continental shelf area off the coast of A Coruña, as well as in the National Fisheries Mapping Program .

The campaign will be conducted aboard the research vessel Emma Bardán, part of the ministry’s fleet of oceanographic ships, and operations will be carried out at depths between 50 and 100 meters.

In May, the Ministry announced the allocation of grants for 2025, totaling €550,000, aimed at associative entities within the fishing and aquaculture sectors. The goal is to promote activities that foster the integration of women in the sector and support research and technological development.