Despite an increase in fishing, Spanish fisheries are catching less than 60 years ago, according to a new study by Oceana Europe.
According to Spanish fishermen in the Mediterranean and the Gulf of Cadiz who were interviewed, in 1950 fishing was carried out in shallower water and closer to the coast than today. This change is linked to overexploitation of coastal resources, says Oceana, which has led to an expansion of the area of activity in search of new fishing grounds.
At the same time, the power of vessels has significantly increased.
“It is common for trawlers to have more power than what is declared officially and also more than the 500 hp established by the law,” said Xavier Pastor, fisheries biologist and executive director of Oceana in Europe.
“It is currently estimated that the trawler fleet in the Balearic Islands has a total of 30,800 hp, which is almost three times what the official records suggest. This is an enormous ecological and tax fraud that the authorities tolerate with impunity,” he added.
The study revealed that catches could be as high as up to 10 tonnes a day between 1950 and 1980, while between 1990 and 2000 they did not reach five tonnes.
The quality of fish caught has also declined. Older fishermen claimed that the largest fish caught during their careers weighed as much as 500kg, while for the younger fishermen it was only 200kg.
Species that were once common, such as the smoothound and the dogfish, are now very rare due to overfishing, leaving Spanish fisheries with little variety in species. Other species that fishermen consider to be extinct in certain areas include the nursehound, angel shark and spider crab.
Oceana says the study reaffirms the need to change the fishing model that has been followed until now, to ensure a profitable future for fisheries and proper marine conservation.
