The Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, Luis Planas, during his speech
Government of Spain
The Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries, and Food of Spain, Luis Planas, has reiterated the government's "strong" commitment to fishermen and shipowners affected due to the closure decree established by the French government in the Bay of Biscay.
In other words, this measure forces Spanish workers to remain in port between January 22 and February 20 and consequently reduces accidental cetacean catches.
During the Senate Plenary, Planas emphasized that his department is continuously monitoring the situation, "with transparent dialogue with the sector and the autonomous communities" to see how effective measures can be implemented to reduce accidental cetacean captures and "provide adequate and fair compensation to those who have been harmed by this decision."
On the other hand, Planas has detailed that the closure only affects vessels with a length greater than 8 meters, using bottom trawls, purse seines, minor mesh gear, longlines, and gillnets. This is, 400 French boats and 41 Spanish ones, although 20 have gone to fish in other waters, and currently, 21 are affected.
Finally, the government has ensured that, by February 20, the extent to which the boats have been affected and the possibility of financing aid from the European Maritime and Fisheries Fund (EMFF) will be studied.
