European fisheries are facing an unsustainable situation in which previously rich, diverse fish stocks have been decimated, giving rise to an ecological, social and ultimately, economic crisis. Having depleted resources in European waters, the EU fishing sector has suffered significant employment reductions and economic losses in the last decades. Today, countries with large fleets like Spain have to import more than 60 per cent of the fish they consume, whereas with good management a large proportion of that fish could come from domestic European waters.
Italian Artisanal Fishermen in Sicily. Small-scale low-impact fishing methods play a major role in sustaining fishing communities. They also contribute to maintain better protected, resource-rich seas and coasts.
The report, Onboard employment, proposes a series of measures to be implemented in the next decade to make Spanish fisheries 100 per cent sustainable and analyses the effects they would have on the economy and employment in Spain. This summary shows that this set of actions would increase economic production by €4 billion and create over 60,100 jobs; as well as deliver better protected, resource-rich seas and coasts. Last year, a first report examined the economic and social conditions of the Spanish fishing industry and looked at the part small-scale low-impact methods play in sustaining fishing communities.
Onboard employment: socio-economic impact of a sustainable fisheries model