A coordinated national strike. Credit: Diego Delso / Creative Commons
The Fishermen’s Guild of Villajoyosa took part, alongside guilds across Spain, in the nationwide stoppage of fishing activity that took place on Monday 19, with boats remaining moored and fish markets closed.
The action formed part of a coordinated national strike through which the sector voiced its opposition to regulations it considered unworkable and damaging to daily fishing operations.
Objections to the pre-notification and catch reporting system
The sector demanded urgent changes to the arrival pre-notification system and catch recording requirements, arguing that the rules endangered maritime safety and exposed fishermen to unavoidable penalties.
The Fishermen’s Guild of Villajoyosa stated that the first days of applying the new obligations confirmed long-standing warnings from the sector: a rigid arrival notice and the obligation to declare all species from the first kilogram required a level of precision that was impossible to achieve at sea.
Increased bureaucracy and safety concerns
Fishermen warned that the new system led to a sharp rise in bureaucracy during active fishing operations, as well as a higher risk of sanctions due to inevitable discrepancies in catch declarations.
More seriously, the sector highlighted a real threat to maritime safety, as skippers could be forced to divert their attention from navigation and watchkeeping duties on the bridge in order to comply with administrative requirements.
Key Madrid meeting and peaceful demonstrations
The duration of the stoppage depended on the outcome of a meeting held in Madrid on the same Monday 19, which was brought forward from its originally scheduled date of January 22. Those attending included the Secretary General for Fisheries at the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, Isabel Artime; the president of the National Federation of Fishermen’s Guilds (FNCP), Basilio Otero; and representatives of the fishing sector.
At the same time, fishermen and guild representatives from across Spain travelled to Madrid and gathered peacefully outside the headquarters of the General Secretariat for Fisheries, where they waited for the outcome of the meeting and progress in negotiations.
Warning of continued action
The sector called for an immediate solution involving the removal of the current pre-notification system and the elimination or effective relaxation of catch recording requirements, applying proportionate criteria aligned with the realities of fishing.
The Fishermen’s Guild of Villajoyosa stressed that the mobilisation was peaceful but warned that, without a genuine solution, the sector would be forced to maintain the stoppage to prevent going to sea from becoming an exercise in “fishing for fines”.
About the Fishermen’s Guild of Villajoyosa
The Fishermen’s Guild of Villajoyosa managed the sale of catches landed by affiliated vessels, with the aim of guaranteeing consumers quality, freshness and flavour, while overseeing fishing processes.
The organisation operated a total of 35 vessels, including 27 trawlers and eight engaged in trammel net fishing.