Trawlers granted extra fishing days amid fears of Christmas shortages

Relief spread across Catalonia's fishing sector after the Spanish government announced on Monday that additional fishing days will be granted to trawlers that had already exhausted their annual limits.

The Agriculture Ministry confirmed that each vessel will receive 13 extra fishing days for 2025, following "intense negotiations" with Brussels, since the maximum number of days at sea is regulated under EU policy.

Minister Luis Planas argued that the measure "ensures the fleet’s activity during the Christmas season," amid warnings from fishers that failing to extend the limit could lead to shortages over the holidays.

After "intense technical work and numerous conversations," the minister said, the European Commission agreed to this solution.

"This extraordinary allocation will provide certainty, stability, and planning capacity for shipowners and crews as they face the final months of the year," he added.

Planas also noted that the additional days help "rule out" the possibility of shortages.

Initially, the European Commission had assigned just 27 fishing days for 2025 in an effort to reverse environmental deterioration in the Mediterranean.

Following sector protests, the EU later agreed to grant more days if additional environmental measures were implemented.

As a result, Catalan trawlers reached a total of around 130 fishing days per vessel, a limit that most of the fleet had already reached by now.