Canary Islands' Artisanal Fleet on the Brink of Extinction
Fishermen’s brotherhoods in the Canary Islands raise their voice against EU plans for Rabil and Tuna approved at ICCAT
The Canarian fishing sector has spoken out unanimously, calling this one of the most worrying decisions in recent years for the future of the activity in the archipelago. The Regional Federation of Fishermen’s Brotherhoods of the Canary Islands, together with the Provincial Federations of Tenerife and Las Palmas, have expressed their strongest and unanimous rejection of the proposal promoted by the General Secretariat of Fisheries and presented by the European Union delegation at the ICCAT meetings held last November in Seville.
The approved document authorizes an experimental industrial purse‑seine fishing plan and the installation of grow‑out cages for Rabil and blue tuna in the waters of the archipelago. This initiative has always faced, and continues to face, absolute disapproval from the Canarian fishing sector, as the industry conveyed at the time to the company that initially promoted the idea locally, and reiterated clearly to the General Secretariat of Fisheries during the ICCAT meetings.
There is no support from the Canary Islands—neither from the sector nor from the Regional Government—for this initiative.
“For added absurdity, neither the sector nor the Canary Islands Government on fisheries matters were consulted or informed that this initiative would be presented BY THE SPANISH GOVERNMENT to be included in the EU negotiation mandate at ICCAT,” the federations explain.
It is unacceptable that a proposal of such magnitude and impact—directly jeopardising the future of Canary fisheries—has been put forward in this manner. This approach, without prior approval and endorsement from the local sector that operates in the waters of an especially sensitive and fragile outer‑peripheral region, and without the required coordination with the Canary Islands Government, in our view violates the principles of consultation and participation established in current legislation. Specifically, Article 7 of Law 5/2023 on sustainable fisheries and fisheries research states that additional requirements for access to fish resources, such as those contemplated in a pilot plan of this nature, must be set after consulting the autonomous communities and the affected fishing sector. The total lack of such consultation clearly breaches this basic legal obligation of cooperation and participation, also disregarding the competencies that the Statute of Autonomy of the Canary Islands grants the autonomous community over the management of fishing activities within its territory.
No benefit for Canary fishing communities
Another point that has sparked outrage is the use of a completely false argument to justify the project. In the second “OBSERVING” section of the document, it claims the “possibility that fishing communities could obtain greater benefits from the sustainable use of the same resources,” trying to convey that the Canary sector might be favoured or interested in developing this activity. In reality, there is no benefit whatsoever for Canary fishing communities; the plan serves exclusively foreign capital interests linked to the industrial sector, which would gain access to operate industrially in Canary waters and compete directly, at the same time, for the resources the Canary fleet needs to survive.
The federations warn that this experimental plan is, on the contrary, a torpedo to the economic viability of the Canary fleet. “If we had wanted to develop that fishing model, we would have done it ourselves; that is precisely what we have always avoided,” they say.
“It represents an almost insurmountable threat to local fisheries—a model that stands as an international example of sustainability, selectivity, and respect for marine ecosystems. Allowing the introduction of industrial purse‑seine fishing in the archipelago’s waters would force the artisanal fleet to compete under absolutely disadvantageous conditions in its own grounds, gravely upsetting the socio‑economic balance of coastal communities and virtually eliminating any chance for a sector that is essential to the cultural identity and fishing heritage of the islands to continue,” the federations explain.
The introduction of industrial purse‑seine fishing under these conditions would cause a devastating ecological impact, incompatible with any principle of sustainability or conservation. Moreover, the Canary Islands are not the Mediterranean, ecologically or biologically. Here, blue‑tuna schools migrate accompanied by large pods of dolphins in proportions far greater than in other regions. This means that to catch ten tuna with industrial purse‑seine nets, roughly one hundred dolphins would have to be encircled. No technology, protocol, or control system can prevent the stress, injuries, or mortality of these highly protected cetaceans, whose presence is vital for marine ecological balance.
In contrast, Canarian artisanal fishing—based on hook and line, one‑by‑one, using nylon—constitutes a selective, respectful, and sustainable activity that captures tuna without affecting other species or harming the ecosystem. Comparing the two models pits two completely different approaches to the sea: one rooted in conservation, tradition, and social justice, and the other based on massive capture and maximising economic profit at the expense of the environment and local communities. Both models are incompatible in Canary waters.
Therefore, the Canarian fishing sector, through the Regional Federation of Fishermen’s Brotherhoods of the Canary Islands and the Provincial Federations of Tenerife and Las Palmas, demands the immediate withdrawal of the pilot project approved at ICCAT. It calls for any future initiative concerning fishing in the waters of this outer‑peripheral archipelago not to be promoted or presented to international bodies without the active participation and prior consent of the Canarian fishing sector and the competent autonomous authorities. The federations argue that the future of Canary fisheries must continue to be based on sustainability, respect for marine ecosystems, and recognition of the historical, social, and cultural value of the artisanal fleet—a fleet that for centuries has proven to be an exemplary model of responsible and balanced resource use.