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Anchovy season, poor at present
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Anchovy fishery. (Photo: AZTI)
Anchovy season, poor at present
SPAIN
Tuesday, May 22, 2012, 02:00 (GMT + 9)
The anchovy fleet consisting of about 60 purse seiners based in Galicia expressed concern and disappointment at the weak current season as the specimens are small and unattractive for the industry.
Because of the smaller size of the anchovies caught in the Bay of Biscay, the price of each kilogram fell from EUR 3 to EUR 1.
According to a ship owner from Portosín, “every two or fewer fish per kilogram, the price drops by half,” the newspaper La Voz de Galicia reported.
At present, between 35 and 40 anchovies will be counted per kilogram.
The fisheries sector must also face another issue: the difficulty in obtaining the pelagic resource specimens.
Fishermen say that the anchovies are moving away from the coast, which implies a 10-to-12 hour voyage each day and some vessels can not cover their assigned quotas.
However, there is still a lot from the quota to be caught.
Considering this situation, the commission set up to monitor the activity — formed by professionals from Galicia, Basque Country, Asturias and Cantabria — on Tuesday decided to lower the daily catch limit from 10 tonnes per vessel per day to 6 tonnes.
In this regard, the head of the commission, Belarmino Rodríguez, explained that the aim was to increase prices for sale to factories, as the market of fresh anchovy can not absorb so much.
Regarding the size of anchovy caught by the fleet in the Mediterranean and the Bay of Biscay, González said that the former is much smaller, so that buyers prefer the latter.
“The boats fishing in Mediterranean waters are catching very small fish, so we are taking over their market. They catch about 160 pieces per kilogram while in the Bay of Biscay the minimum size set for us is 90 units per kilogram,” Gonzalez added, according to La Opinion.
The anchovy season began on 1 March and will end on 30 June.
This year, the fishing opportunities amount to 29,700 tonnes of anchovy while in 2011 the maximum capacity totalled 15,600 tonnes.
The Minister of Livestock and Fisheries of Cantabria, Blanca Martinez, said on Monday the anchovy fishing quota would be set in 10 tonnes per day again after the decline to 6 tonnes, reported EFE agency.
Related articles:
– Mackerel is excessive, anchovy is scarce
– Anchovy daily quota fixed
By Analia Murias
editorial@fis.com
www.fis.com
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