Planas points to research and international cooperation as key elements to ensure the sustainability of seas and oceans

The Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, Luis Planas, has assured that the Spanish government is working to guarantee the long-term conservation of marine resources and fishing activity, key elements for the continued availability of nutritious, quality food and for the social and economic development of coastal areas. Planas indicated that research, knowledge and international cooperation are indispensable elements to guarantee the sustainability of seas and oceans.

Late yesterday afternoon, Luis Planas visited the Halieutis Fair, accompanied by the Moroccan Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries, Rural Development, Water and Forestry, Mohamed Sadiki. In this context, Minister Planas closed the special Spanish-Moroccan meeting, which was held to promote cooperation between the two countries in the field of a more comprehensive and sustainable blue economy.

In his speech, Luis Planas highlighted the great social and economic importance of fishing in Spain, especially for coastal areas. In fact, Spain leads the European Union in fisheries production, with a fleet of around 8,700 vessels, catches of over 800,000 tonnes in extractive fishing and some 270,000 tonnes in aquaculture. In addition, the sector accounts for around 60,000 direct jobs, of which around 35,000 are in fisheries and aquaculture and just over 24,000 in industry.

In this context, Planas stressed that the Spanish fisheries sector is characterised by the development of a sustainable catch and production model. He stressed that Spain is committed to the most important international agreements on environmental protection and is a leader in the fight against illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing. In this way, he encouraged a determined fight to eradicate, at international level, illegal fishing and overfishing, which are threats to the health of the oceans.

He also considers it essential to continue investing in fisheries and oceanographic research, as decision-making in fisheries management must be based on the best scientific knowledge. In this field, Spain has several research vessels that carry out campaigns for the collection of biological data, the study of marine ecosystems and the cartographic knowledge of the seabed, both in national and international waters.

During his tour of the Halieutis Fair, the minister visited the Spanish stand, from which the Food from Spain strategy is disseminated to promote the consumption of fish products. The minister thanked Spain for being a featured country at this year's show, a distinction that reflects the quality of our food and products, as well as our activities in oceanographic research, training and fisheries cooperation.

Planas also visited the Moroccan stand at the fair, where he advocated further strengthening relations between Spain and Morocco, two countries with common interests that maintain close cooperation on agri-food and fisheries issues.

Non official translation