​Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries, Food and Environmental Affairs strengthens fishing controls and surveillance in the fight against illegal fishing

In accordance with this general plan, the Navy will operate the fishing surveillance patrol vessels 'Alborán', 'Arnomendi' and 'Tarifa', and those of the Toralla class, with additional air support. These operations will be funded by the General-Secretariat of Fisheries.

This will be backed by a vessel of the Fisheries Inspectorate of the General-Secretariat of Fisheries, which will advise patrol commanders on issues relating to fishing inspections and surveillance, indicating potential priorities among the different specific targets.

National fishing grounds and EU and international waters

This plan covers both waters under Spanish sovereignty or jurisdiction in the Atlantic Ocean, north-west Mediterranean and the Alboran Sea, as well as EU waters of other Member States and international waters under the framework of international treaties and Regional Fisheries Management Organisations (RFMO).

Training and health and safety

Training activities are also included, both for staff of the General-Secretariat of Fisheries and of the Spanish Navy, as well as suitable training in occupational hazards and health and safety, with medical examinations prior to embarkation to determine the good state of the health of the members of the surveillance teams.

Fight against illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing

Illegal, Unreported and Unregulated (IUU) Fishing could represent around 26 million tonnes of fish per annum, equivalent to more than 15% of the total annual production of fishing products.

The Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries, Food and Environmental Affairs (Spanish acronym: MAPAMA), is under the firm conviction that it must fight this scourge, by allocating the necessary resources to achieve this, since it constitutes one of the greatest threats to the sustainable use of living aquatic resources and marine bio-diversity.

Non official translation