The Spanish Fisheries Ministry on Tuesday published, in its Official State Bulletin (BOE), conditions for the incidental catches of bluefin in 2026. It allowed a quota of 233.92 tons for incidental bluefin catches for over 6,000 boats. Out of this, 67.39 tons, 55.28 tons, and 47.25 tons were distributed to the Cantabrian Northwest, Mediterranean, and Gulf of Cadiz fleets, respectively. The remaining volumes were allotted to boats that have their home port in La Línea de la Concepción, Algeciras, Barbate, and Conil. The authorized fleet was permitted to catch the fish starting August 12.

Vessels that capture incidental fish target other species, but increasingly encounter bluefin because the stock has recovered. “In consideration of the great recovery experienced by the bluefin, in terms of its abundance and presence on the Spanish coast, the General Secretariat of Fisheries considers it especially important to enable the different fleet segments that have seen an increase in their interaction with this species so that they can participate in the incidental capture of it,” states the Ministry.

OPAGAC’s documentary, ‘1,17,’ which portrayed the hardships of tuna fishers, recently won an award in the ‘Communication’ category of the Spanish Fisheries Ministry-organized ‘Extraordinary Foods of Spain Award 2026.’ The jury highlighted that “the documentary offers a comprehensive and rigorous view of a little-known sector, deep-sea tuna fishing, and also provides an excellent socio-economic overview of a particularly demanding and challenging activity.” They also emphasized the technical and narrative quality of the report, with its solid script and meticulous cinematography, according to a Ministry statement.

‘1,17,’ which premiered in Madrid in 2024, showed the challenges faced by fishers by highlighting the lives of the 31-member crew that belonged to the Spanish purse seiner ‘Itsas Txori’. The documentary also aimed to promote employment opportunities on tuna vessels among the youth. The trailer can be seen at this link. The film is also available on Atresplayer, a Spanish streaming platform.