CONCERN FOR FUTURE OF TORREVIEJA FISHING INDUSTRY

Statistics produced last week by the Fishermen's Association of Torrevieja suggest that in the last year their vessels caught 16% less of fish than in the previous year while, at the same time, the prices dropped by almost a third.

They also say that the return they are getting on a kilo of fish at auction is considerably less adding that they are not optimistic about the future of the fishing industry in the city.
During 2010, the weight of fish landed at the port amounted to 2,405,763 kilos with the price on first sale at auction reaching 2,162,850, euros.

When compared to 2009, at which time the catch was 2,891,517 the results are seen as very disappointing. That year also saw the financial return rather better with the amount paid for the fish recorded as 3.440.079. A year earlier, in 2008, the weight of fish caught was 2,941,923 kilos, while in 2007 the figure was about two and half million kilos.

In 2010 the harvests of anchovy and blue fish species which are traditionally well-traded for both fresh consumption or for the canning industry have plummeted from around three hundred thousand kilos in 2009 to barely sixty-six thousand.

Some fish do attract good prices however according to the data with squid amongst the best paid at 15.23 euros per kilo ... although only 242 kilos was caught so there were no particularly large dividends. Next in price was mullet at 15.15 euros a kilo, but only 55 kilos was caught in 2010.

At the other end of the scale sardines brought in just 0.26 euros a kilo of which 13,152 kilos were caught.