The Artisanal Fishing Sector in the Spanish Mediterranean: A Sector with a Long History and an Uncertain Future

Abstract

The fishing sector is facing major economic and environmental challenges worldwide. However, at least in developed countries, it is also undergoing a major social crisis. This research has tried to quantify and validate this subjective feeling of deep crisis, based on objective and quantitative data referring to the Spanish Mediterranean. Indeed, the results show alarming data. Different scattered databases have been analyzed and it has been exposed that in only 15 years the number of vessels, power and tonnage has decreased by about 40%; as for fishermen, their number has decreased by about 30%, also revealing a serious problem of generational replacement, since in only 10 years, the average age of fishermen has increased by 3 years. A simple linear regression model shows that this downward trend in the number of boats and fishermen will continue at least in the short term. The data obtained invite a deep reflection on the future or even the very survival of fishing in the Spanish Mediterranean in the medium term. This reflection is not limited to this specific area but can be extrapolated to many other fishing areas.