The Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food has activated the mechanism for optimizing the fishing possibilities of the Cantabrian anchovy for the 2026 campaign, with a quota close to 800 tons, according to the resolution published this Thursday in the Official State Gazette (BOE).
This system will allow the reassignment of quantities that were not expected to be consumed, so that they can be utilized by those groups of vessels capable of capturing them during the rest of the campaign. In this way, nearly 500 purse seiners from Galicia, Asturias, Cantabria, and the Basque Country will be able to benefit from this measure.
The optimization mechanism for the Cantabrian anchovy is thus put into operation before that of other fisheries, which is usually activated in November, due to the particularities of this species and because the closure of the campaign is set for November 30.
According to Agriculture, the new quantities are distributed among the groups of purse seiners from the Cantabrian Sea and northwest following the same criteria used in the initial distribution of fishing possibilities.
The advance of the optimization of the anchovy compared to other fisheries responds to the Ministry's intention to adjust management to the characteristics of each species and to avoid that the authorized fishing possibilities remain unused due to issues related to the campaign calendar.
With these actions, the Department led by Luis Planas promotes a dynamic, responsible, and efficient management of fishing possibilities, aimed at ensuring the maximum utilization of the quotas available for the Spanish fleet and reconciling the sustainability of resources with the continuity of the economic activity of the fishing sector.
The anchovy is deeply integrated into the maritime, gastronomic, and social culture of large areas of the Spanish coastline and is a species closely linked to the traditional activity of numerous ports and fish markets, as well as to seasonal campaigns that, like the bonito fishery, have marked the calendar of fishing communities for generations.