Balearic Islands request to modify the regulation governing trawl fishing in the Mediterranean

During the meeting with Minister Luis Planas, which was attended by the fishing advisors from the Mediterranean communities, Simonet also requested measures to recover the 180 fishing days in the Balearic Islands.

It should be remembered that the meeting was held at the request of these autonomous communities, which on December 27 sent a letter to the minister requesting the meeting due to the complicated situation of trawl fishing in the Mediterranean after the limitations approved at the last Council of Ministers of Fisheries of the European Union.

During the meeting, the topic of compensatory measures to recover the lost fishing days was addressed. In particular, the replacement of the net crowns and the assurance that it will be possible to fish 130 days, as in 2024, and not the 27 approved in December in Brussels were discussed. In this regard, Simonet conveyed that "the goal is not to fish 130 days, a number that only allows mere subsistence, but a minimum of 180 days, which would be the activity that would allow the economic viability of the companies and the guarantee of the supply of fresh local fish to the fish markets, markets, and commercial establishments of the Balearic Islands."

Simonet also took the opportunity to emphasize that "it is essential" to modify the regulation that governs the management plan for Mediterranean fisheries, in order to prevent the Commission from being able to propose drastic reductions in fishing days for trawlers in the near future, thus giving stability and security to the activity of the fishermen. "We must not forget that in the Balearic Islands, the sector has already been under restrictions for five years, a fact that has meant a reduction of 40% in fishing days. In addition, we must add the nine boats lost since 2015, which means a reduction of more than 50% in effort in just 10 years," stated the counselor.

On the other hand, during the meeting, Simonet also requested to change the initial proposal for the distribution of red shrimp quotas. In this regard, the Ministry's first proposal implies a reduction of about 40% for the Balearic Islands compared to the 2024 catches, while for the entire Spanish Mediterranean the reduction is only 10%. However, despite the discrepancies on this last point, Simonet valued the effort of Minister Planas and his team for having achieved the approval of the technical measures to have the option to recover the fishing days of 2024, as well as "his commitment to finance the change of the nets and their certification and also the predisposition to listen to the demands of our sector and continue working together." It should be remembered that Counselor Simonet was present in Brussels, as a member of the Spanish delegation, at the last Council of Ministers of Fisheries of the European Union and was firsthand knowledgeable about the dramatic situation which the measures proposed by the European Commission addressed.

Finally, Counselor Simonet has urged the minister to propose to the European Commission, as soon as possible, a review of the methods for calculating the sustainability of fish populations, at least for GSA5 (Balearic Islands). He has also requested the possibility of economic compensations for lost profits in the event that the change of nets has more detrimental economic effects than anticipated.