The Balearic Islands demand more bluefin tuna quota for artisanal fishermen in the Spanish Mediterra

On Monday, October 21, the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries, and Natural Environment, Joan Simonet, participated in the Council of Ministers of Fisheries of the European Union as the representative for fisheries matters of all the autonomous communities of Spain, a representation that corresponds to him during this last semester of the year.

The Agrofish Council, taking place in Luxembourg, concludes this Tuesday, October 22.

With the presence of the head of the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries, and Food of Spain, Luis Planas, and chaired by the Minister of Agriculture and Fisheries of Hungary, István Nagy, the European fisheries ministers have discussed on the first day of the Agrofish council matters such as the community position to defend at the upcoming meeting of the International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas (ICCAT) or the fishing quotas for the Baltic for the year 2025. In this context, Minister Joan Simonet has conveyed the claim to increase the quota of bluefin tuna that can be caught by artisanal fishermen throughout the Spanish Mediterranean “and particularly those from the Islands.” “We also request that accidental catches of bluefin tuna and swordfish can be commercialized by our fishermen and that recreational fishermen can fish bluefin tuna catch-and-release throughout the year,” explained Simonet.

Taking advantage of this meeting in Luxembourg, Minister Simonet, who was accompanied by the Director General of Fisheries, Antoni M. Grau, had the opportunity to speak with Minister Luis Planas and the Secretary-General of Fisheries of the Spanish Government, Isabel Artime, and relayed to them the idea of the Government of the Balearic Islands for an experimental project to avoid catching protected sharks with trawling nets for shrimp. This is a pilot project throughout the Mediterranean framed in the Balearic Strategy for Sharks and Rays, presented last September. It is important to note that this idea has the support of the entire fishing sector of the archipelago.

Once again, in the words of Minister Simonet, “Minister Planas and his team have shown a firm interest in our projects and have committed to studying it to be able to implement it. The Ministry has always listened to us because from the beginning they have very well understood the peculiarities of our sector and the lack of competitiveness due to insularity.”