Europe sets the limit for bottom trawling in the Mediterranean: 143 days a year

PalmThe European Union's fisheries ministers finalized an agreement in the early hours of the morning on fishing opportunities for 2026 in EU waters of the Atlantic and on fishing days in the Mediterranean, which will ultimately be set at 143 days. The agreement concludes two intense days of negotiations among the member states. Spanish Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, Luis Planas, celebrated the outcome, calling it a "clear success," especially considering that the European Commission's initial proposal offered only 9.7 days of annual fishing for the trawler fleet. "We have secured 143 days for our Mediterranean vessels," he stated in a message posted on social media.

Planas emphasized that the negotiation had been "frankly difficult" and attributed the outcome to the sector's efforts and the implementation of sustainability measures in recent years. In this regard, he stated that no new selective measures would be introduced in 2026 and that those already in effect since last year would be sufficient to reach the agreed number of fishing days. In Brussels' initial proposal, each vessel in the Spanish fleet would have been able to go to sea for fewer than ten days per year, a 64% reduction compared to the 27 days proposed for 2025. In the previous agreement, the option to choose certain compensatory measures allowed for a similar number of days to be maintained, thus exceeding the 100-day threshold.

Regarding the western Mediterranean, the EU Council has reported that it has agreed to maintain the fishing effort level for trawlers in Spanish, French, and Italian waters at the 2025 level.

This applies to the limits for sole, horse mackerel, cod, and monkfish, while fishing opportunities for megrim and slipper lobster will be increased.

The Balearic Government is satisfied with the agreement.

The Government expressed its satisfaction with the agreement on the distribution of fishing quotas in EU waters. This was stated by the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries, and Natural Environment, Joan Simonet, who pointed out that "while the Balearic Islands' initial proposal was already somewhat better than those made in the rest of Spain, in the end, these 143 days are good for the archipelago's fishing fleet." "This also demonstrates," in Simonet's words, "a change of attitude in the European Commission since the new Commissioner took office." Simonet also considered the announcements made by the new Commissioner to review the fisheries regulations and the fisheries program for the Western Mediterranean to be important. According to the Minister, "this is what we must continue working on so that we don't have to go through that anxiety every year at the end of the year," when "we don't know what will be possible." In short, this is "good news for the primary sector," concluded Minister Joan Simonet, who ended his remarks by inviting everyone to "eat plenty of Balearic fish this holiday season and throughout the year."