Spain alerts about reduced fishing effort impact in the Mediterranean

The Secretary General of Fisheries in Spain, Isabel Artime, has warned that further reductions in fishing effort in the Mediterranean will jeopardize the viability of the fleet and the future of coastal communities.

She has also called for the removal of the article in the Mediterranean multiannual plan that links fishing effort to the status of the most vulnerable species — hake.

To address this, Artime has emphasized the need for more up-to-date scientific assessments to consolidate this trend and "guide future decisions with the best available scientific information."

Finally, the Secretary has reminded that the sector is committed to continuing progress toward more selective and sustainable fishing practices, and has detected "positive signs regarding the evolution of fishery resources, as a result of the measures adopted in recent years."

This took place during the event 'The Future of Fishing in the Western Mediterranean: Towards Economically Sustainable Fishing and Thriving Coastal Communities', organized by the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries, and Food in collaboration with the European Parliament's Fisheries Committee (PECH) in Brussels.

Betting on Sustainability

The event was attended by fishermen, scientists, institutional representatives, and regional administrations.

According to the Ministry, fishermen emphasized their importance in food sovereignty, employment, and social cohesion. Among their demands, they highlighted the need for regulatory stability and recognition of their continuous efforts to improve the selectivity of their fishing methods.

They also stressed the necessity of updating stock assessment models and adapting measures to the real situation of resources.

Finally, the coastal autonomous communities of the Mediterranean, along with the French region of Occitania and the Pyrenees-Mediterranean Euroregion (EPM), reminded attendees of the overall importance of fisheries.