Spain's Fishing Industry: From Crisis to Aquaculture Solutions

Challenges Facing Spain's Traditional Fishing Industry

The loss of traditional fishing grounds has caused a crisis, leading to retraining programs for different methods, like boat-based removal fishing, due to catch limitations. Consequently, many Spanish fishermen and their ships have been forced to operate under other flags to access fishing opportunities in those grounds.

Economic and Competitive Pressures

• Fuel Prices: A key factor is the increase in fuel prices, which has made fishing activity much less profitable.
• Competition from Third Countries: Competition from developing countries has intensified, with their share of world production growing from 45% to 70% today. They are fishing in many grounds traditionally exploited by the Spanish fleet, which has brought increased competition, the need to seek alternative areas, and a significant increase in pressure on resources.

Aquaculture: A Solution to the Fishing Sector's Crisis

Aquaculture is one of the possible solutions to the fishing sector's crisis and can become a major alternative for the sector's future. This activity does not only refer to catching fish; it also includes the farming of seaweed, shellfish, or crustaceans.

This activity was promoted by the Law of Marine Farming, which fosters further research and innovation in aquaculture. Operating on two fronts, marine and river, it has enjoyed extraordinary growth in recent years. Its development can help alleviate problems such as the overexploitation of fish stocks or decreasing catch numbers. It can even become an activity to occupy the population that has been forced to abandon traditional fishing. As a result, Spain has become the second-largest European producer.

It is important to distinguish between private companies involved in aquaculture, whose main objective is to market a range of marine and river species, and public entities, which attempt to control the spawning and rearing of fingerlings for restocking. This activity is also supported by the EU.

Spatial Distribution and Main Problems in Aquaculture

Regarding its spatial distribution, the autonomous community of Galicia is notable, where there has been extraordinary growth in recent years. However, aquaculture also raises a number of drawbacks.

Key Challenges

• It requires significant investments.
• As a recent activity, it is sometimes in an experimental phase.
• It requires qualified technical staff.
• Strict environmental requirements can also cause inconvenience for aquaculture enterprises.