Spanish Fishing: Grounds, Regions, and Problems

Fishing activity in Spain

• - Spain has traditionally been a major fishing nation, although the physical environment was not very favorable due to its small continental platform. Today, fishing remains important, though not as much as in the past.

Characteristics of the fishing industry

• - The fishing fleet has undergone a profound transformation. It includes small ships and a high-seas fleet composed of modern ships equipped with the latest technologies.
• - The majority of the species caught are fish (tuna and sardine). Other species of great market value are the mollusks, crustaceans (prawns and crabs), and cephalopods (octopus).
• - Fishing production is used for human consumption of fresh fish. However, some of the fish caught are used for industrial transformation of oils.

Fishing grounds and regions

Today, Spanish fleets fish in national areas, EU, and international fishing, especially those of the Atlantic and Indian oceans. To fish internationally, the EU negotiates and signs fishing agreements with the corresponding countries. The main Spanish fishing region is Galicia.

Problems with fishing

• - The most notable problems related to fishing are the small and aging fishing populations, and the excessive size of the fleet in relation to the resources of the fishing.
• - To resolve these problems, public administrations have taken different measures, including subsidies.