Overview
- The Agriculture, Fisheries and Food Ministry approved an extraordinary allocation equal to about 13 additional days per vessel to safeguard the Christmas campaign.
- The move follows intensive talks with the European Commission, with Spain pointing to selectivity upgrades, mesh changes, seasonal closures and onboard scientists to justify flexibility.
- Brussels had initially set a 27‑day effort for 2025, which Spain lifted to roughly 130 days on average before most boats ran out of days in late November.
- Roughly 556–557 trawl vessels are affected, and sector representatives warn that about 17,000 families depend on the activity and say they want the chance to work rather than subsidies.
- Controls also cap kilograms by species, creating planning challenges even when days are available, and structural changes for 2026 will be set after EU deliberations on 11–12 December.