Spanish fishing industry within the common fishery policy

Abstract

The main objective of this article is to study the evolution of the Spanish fishing industry, with a specific focus on examining the correlation between actual catches by Spanish vessels and recorded landings against national Total Allowable Catches, which may contribute to improving the current state of the Common Fisheries Policy. Firstly, we offer an overview of the geographical, economic, and legal factors surrounding Spanish fisheries, along with an examination of the Common Fisheries Policy and relevant international agreements impacting these fisheries. Subsequently, we analyze three species, namely hake, anchovy, and cod as they are the most traded fish in the Spanish markets. Thirdly, we conduct an examination to provide information regarding the role of Common Fishery Policy quotas and to explore potential reasons behind the observed results. The main findings reveal the identification of a significant lack of alignment between the Common Fishery Policy and its resulting implementation through the Total Allowable Catches over the last decade.