Spain Allots Quota For Incidental Bluefin Catches

The Spanish Fisheries Ministry on Tuesday published, in its Official State Bulletin (BOE), conditions for the incidental catches of bluefin in 2026. It allowed a quota of 233.92 tons for incidental bluefin catches for over 6,000 boats. Out of this, 67.39 tons, 55.28 tons, and 47.25 tons were distributed to the Cantabrian Northwest, Mediterranean, and Gulf of Cadiz fleets, respectively. The remaining volumes were allotted to boats that have their home port in La Línea de la Concepción, Algeciras, Barbate, and Conil. The authorized fleet was permitted to catch the fish starting August 12.

Vessels that capture incidental fish target other species, but increasingly encounter bluefin because the stock has recovered. “In consideration of the great recovery experienced by the bluefin, in terms of its abundance and presence on the Spanish coast, the General Secretariat of Fisheries considers it especially important to enable the different fleet segments that have seen an increase in their interaction with this species so that they can participate in the incidental capture of it,” states the Ministry.