The Spanish Government has decided to file an appeal before the Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU) against a General Court ruling published on June 11. The ruling upheld a 2022 European Commission regulation that prohibits bottom fishing in 87 areas of the Atlantic classified as "vulnerable" marine ecosystems.
The Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries, and Food argues that the General Court failed to take into account the socio-economic impact of the measure in its ruling, which it claims contravenes the principles of the common fisheries policy (CFP). Minister Luis Planas stated that the European Commission, "cannot exclude the economic and social aspects of the measures adopted".
According to the ministry, the regulation has had a significant impact on the Spanish bottom-sea longline fleet since it came into force in October 2022. It claims hake catches have been reduced by an average of 32 per cent per vessel, with a 39 per cent reduction of the Burela fish market.
In addition to the legal appeal, Minister Planas announced that his ministry is reaching out to the commission to negotiate the exclusion of bottom-sea longlines from the ban, describing the current application to this fleet as "deeply unfair".