MADRID / AYAMONTE (HUELVA) — The Fisheries Producers Organization OPP80, based in Ayamonte (Huelva), has chosen the 39th edition of the Salón Gourmets in Madrid as the stage to launch the international promotion of its flagship product: white shrimp, now backed by the demanding Friend of the Sea certification, obtained at the end of 2025. This achievement makes the entity the first fisheries organization in Andalusia and the second in all of Spain to obtain this sustainability certification.

Photo: OPP80 - Ayamonte
The event is no minor occasion. Salón Gourmets, held at IFEMA Madrid, is considered Europe’s largest high-quality food and beverage fair, bringing together more than 2,000 exhibitors, 110,000 professional visitors, and 15,000 international buyers over four days. It is a strategic showcase to position Ayamonte’s white shrimp as a sustainable product from source to plate.

The Friend of the Sea certification, promoted by the World Sustainability Organization, is present in more than 80 countries and recognized by the European Commission as one of the most rigorous ecolabels in the fisheries sector. Created in 2006 by Paolo Bray, also the driving force behind the Dolphin-Safe project, it requires annual audits carried out by independent bodies such as RINA, Control Union, and DNV.
Among its strict requirements are: the prohibition of catching overexploited species according to FAO and ICES data, limiting bycatch to a maximum of 8%, ensuring no significant impact on marine habitats, full product traceability, and compliance with social responsibility standards.
Until now, only the Galician organization Puerto de Celeiro (OPP77) held this certification in Spain, after certifying its hook-caught hake in 2018 and completing its fleet certification in 2024. The inclusion of OPP80 in this select group reinforces the value of white shrimp, one of the most prized seafood products in Spanish gastronomy.

Photo: OPP80 - Ayamonte
From local cooperative to international benchmark

Founded in 1995 by 19 shipowners from the fishing district of Punta del Moral, OPP80 has evolved into the first transnational fisheries producers organization in Andalusia. Today, it operates a fleet of 46 vessels and accounts for 40% of the quotas in the Gulf of Cádiz, as well as around 80% of the bottom trawling fleet census in Portuguese waters.
The organization generates more than 40 million euros annually (approximately 43.5 million US dollars) in first-sale revenue and markets more than 100 species, including scampi, hake, octopus, alistado shrimp, and scarlet shrimp.
Since 2007, it has managed the Ayamonte Fish Market, and in 2020 it became a pioneer in Spain by launching its online sales and auction platform under the brand “Lonja de Ayamonte”, allowing both private customers and professionals to purchase directly from the vessels.
“We wanted to present it to Europe’s top chefs”
The managing director of OPP80, Alonso Abreu, explained the choice of event:
“We obtained the certification at the end of 2025, but we wanted to present it to the best chefs, distributors, and buyers in Europe. This is the starting point of the international promotion of our white shrimp with a certification that few fisheries in the world can showcase.”
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Abreu also emphasized the effort behind the recognition:
“Behind this certification there are years of work, innovation, and commitment to the sea. It is not a formality: it is the result of decades of commitment to responsible fishing, long before it was required. And now we want the market to know it.”
The manager also highlighted the organization’s evolution:
“We are a cooperative of 19 families who started with wooden boats 30 years ago. Today we operate in two countries, generate more than 40 million in revenue, and can showcase a certification held by only one other fisheries organization in Spain. That is achieved because every day we go out to sea with the belief that this profession must have a future.”