Anchovy catches. (Photo: Magrama)
PORTUGAL
Friday, August 15, 2014, 04:10 (GMT + 9)
After a new agreement with Portugal, the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Environment (MAGRAMA) has managed to get another extra anchovy quota to be caught in IXa zone of the International Council for the Exploration of the Sea (ICES/CIEM), including the Spanish waters between Finisterre and the border with Portugal, as well as the fishing grounds of the Gulf of Cadiz.
This quota increase complements the one achieved in May and strengthens the framework of full cooperation with the neighbouring country in fisheries.
Thus, the purse seine fleet in the Gulf of Cadiz, which has 98.86 per cent availability of the Spanish quota for this species, may dispose of 6,530 tonnes for fishing in 2014, representing 530 additional tonnes to the ones it had.
The rest of the Spanish quota is available for the Galician purse seine fleet, which operates in the waters between Finisterre and the border with Portugal so that the quota available for this year will rise.
With this second agreement reached with Portugal it is expected the fleet activity can be developed smoothly this year, especially in the summer months when the activity is greater. Thus, it would be possible to avoid having to resort to precautionary closures of the fishery to a ship for exceeding its quota.
Furthermore, these additional tonnes may have a small relief for the purse seine fleet in the Gulf of Cadiz, which is affected by poor sardine biological status. These vessels individually assign themselves the anchovy quota for this year.
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