Meeting with representatives of the Basque fleets will seek to delve deeper into the details of the agreement

Basque fleet criticises cuts in mackerel after fishing agreement for 2025

SPAIN
Thursday, December 12, 2024, 06:40 (GMT + 9)

The recent agreement of the European Union on fishing quotas for 2025 has generated divided reactions

Although it ensures increases in key species such as hake, monkfish and megrim, Basque fishermen regret the drastic cut in mackerel, a species vital to their economy.

The Minister of Agriculture, Luis Planas (left), celebrated the agreement as a "success" for the Spanish fleets, highlighting the increase in the quota of hake from the Cantabrian Sea (10,953 tonnes) and the doubling of the Norway lobster. However, the fishermen denounce the impact of the 65.9% reduction in horse mackerel and the cuts in mackerel. Javier Sarobe, from the Armintza Brotherhood (right), pointed out that mackerel has suffered years of overexploitation by industrial fleets from the north, harming local fishermen.

Challenges for the Basque fleet

The 65.9% reduction in horse mackerel and the cuts in mackerel (22%) are causing concern. For the Basque fleet, as Sarobe indicated, horse mackerel remains critical. “The importance of the species varies, but currently horse mackerel is vital for us. These cuts are a chore,” he lamented.

The meeting with representatives of the Basque fleets will seek to delve into the details of the agreement, as well as discuss solutions to the impact of the cuts. Sarobe also highlighted the need to monitor fishing practices in international waters to ensure sustainability.

Councillor Amaia Barredo described the agreement as “not positive” for the Basque fleet. Although there were slight increases in species such as monkfish and megrim, the reductions in mackerel and horse mackerel will complicate things next year, affecting both the inshore fleet and the offshore fleet based in Ondarroa, which is also facing falls in hake (-20%) and blue whiting.

Despite some progress on sustainability, the sector is insisting on measures to monitor fishing in international waters and protect key species such as mackerel, whose decline threatens both the economy and the ecosystem.

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