Report | July 11, 2024

Briefing: How Spain allocates fishing opportunities to its fishers

Spain has one of the largest fishing fleets in Europe, and its fisheries sustain many communities, especially in coastal areas, by providing income, employment, and food. However, biased and opaque allocation of fishing opportunities can lead to inequality in fishing activities, conflicts over access to fish resources, economic hardship for fishers, and negative impacts on fisheries and the marine environment. To prevent such outcomes, Article 17 of the Common Fisheries Policy (CFP)1 and Article 32 of the Spanish Law 5/2023 on Sustainable Fishing and Fisheries Research2 requires Spain to use transparent and objective criteria for allocating fishing opportunities, including those of a social, economic, and environmental nature.

Understanding how Spain manages its marine capture fisheries through allocation is fundamental not only to ensure compliance with legal requirements, but also to identify opportunities for transforming a key part of Europe’s food system into one that delivers social, economic, and environmental benefits. This briefing provides an overview of Spain’s approach to allocating fishing opportunities within the framework of the European Union (EU) CFP and Spanish Law 5/2023 on Sustainable Fishing and Fisheries Research. It proposes measures to improve transparency and objectivity in the allocation of fishing opportunities, aiming to enhance the sustainability and fairness of Spain’s management practices.