BIOMAN researchers collected the data with the collaboration of the General Secretariat of Fisheries of Spain's Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, which has provided the use of its oceanographic vessels, 'Emma Bardán' and 'Vizconde de Eza'.
Photo: AZTI.
Anchovy is one of the most important sea resources for fishing and the economy in northern Spain, so ensuring the sustainability of the species is one of the concerns of the regional government of the Basque Country. Now, a research work co-financed with the European Commission, states that not only is it maintained in good condition, but anchovy biomass in the Bay of Biscay in 2024 is "well above" historical average.
The provisional results of the scientific campaign called BIOMAN place the biomass of this species in the Bay of Biscay at 143,000 tons, records that far exceed the historical average of 80,000 tons this campaign has documented since its inception in 1987.
The data reported by AZTI - a scientific center that develops studies and high-impact transformation projects for the Basque Government with organizations aligned with the United Nations 2030 SDGs - ensure the sustainability of the anchovy, as it far exceeds the figure of 21,000 tons marking the biological limit of the population.
"This is excellent news that highlights the commitment we have made for years to environmental sustainability, especially on the part of the Basque fishing sector, of a resource that employs more than 3,500 people in the Basque Country," stressed the Councilor of Food, Rural Development, Agriculture and Fisheries of the Basque Government, Amaia Barredo.
"With these data, we ensure the coastal next season," she continued. "These are very positive results, and to have a definitive figure of the biomass and to be able to advise managers, we will have to wait until the end of the year when we have the data obtained from the other campaigns and the catches of the fishing fleet."
The BIOMAN 2024 campaign has been carried out with an ecosystem approach with the aim of achieving an integrated management of the environment and living resources that equitably promotes conservation and sustainable use.
Thus, apart from estimating the biomass of the species, the focus has been on other factors such as sardine biomass, anchovy food, the presence, abundance, and behavior of predators and other marine organisms, oceanographic conditions, human activities, and marine debris.
As mentioned by the Councilor of Fisheries of the Basque Government, the final estimated biomass figure for 2025 will be obtained at the end of the year with the joint analysis of the data from the fishing catches and the JUVENA and PELGAS campaigns.
Also led by the Basque technology center AZTI, the JUVENA campaign determines the abundance and distribution of juvenile anchovy (less than 1 year old). Meanwhile, PELGAS - an action coordinated by the French institute Ifremer - provides information on the state of the anchovy population, as well as the functioning of its ecosystem in the French Atlantic area.
"With this complete analysis we will know with greater accuracy how many of the anchovy specimens born this spring reach juveniles in autumn, which depends on various environmental and ecosystemic factors such as temperature, food availability, or predators," explained Amaia Barredo.
The analysis of all the data collected will be carried out in Madrid within the framework of the ICES (Spain's International Council for the Exploration of the Sea) anchovy, sardine, and horse mackerel working group, and its conclusions will be fundamental to advise in the determination of the TAC (Total Allowable Catch) for the year 2025.
