Castellón fishing fleet faces potential 2027 quota cuts

The trawler fleet in Castellón is finishing the year with more fishing days available than in 2025, yet industry leaders remain concerned about potential quota reductions scheduled for 2027.

According to Luis García, secretary of the Provincial Federation of Fishermen's Guilds of Castellón, the fleet has maintained an annual average of 143 fishing days per vessel in the Mediterranean. To support operations, the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food has activated an optimization mechanism for 2026. This mechanism involves a pool of 1,815 fishing days to be distributed among more than 500 vessels across the Mediterranean, ensuring that boats that exhaust their assigned days can continue working by utilizing unused quotas from other vessels.

Despite the current stability, the sector is preparing for upcoming negotiations within the European Union in December, where new restrictions on Mediterranean trawler fishing efforts may be discussed.