Source: La Voz de Galicia
There are still small fishing boats fishing albacore (Bonito del Norte), but the coastal season which started in June has little time left. The auction at A Mariña has to date reached a turnover of Euro 7.25 million and more than 1.71 million kilos sold. These are significant better results than last year, although the Irish pelagic trawlers subtracted catches from the Galician artisanal fleet, and also despite the fact that high fuel prices reduced the benefits to fishermen.
Burela keeps on leading sales and unloadings in Galicia, and continues to be a leader in the Bay of Biscay. The market managed by boatowners united in Armadores de Burela (Absa) auctioned 1.47 million kilos and euro 6.26 million turnover. And in Puerto de Celeiro, 244,337 kilos yielded Euro 995,617. The average price per kilo was around Euro 4.25 in Burela and euro 4.10 in Celeiro.
Miguel Neira, CEO of Absa, voices the opinion of the fishermen who are still fishing Atlantic Albacore with pole and line and live bait. These fishermen are complaining because they only caught part of the tuna they had located. They say that Irish pelagic trawlers are using their vessels as a tracking devise to detect the schools of tuna and then at night, while the Galician fishermen are asleep, the trawlers surround the school and catch the tuna in their nets. The Galician artisanal fishermen feel they are again at a disadvantage against these industrial fishermen.
With an average of about 70 cents per liter, fuel is challenging the benefits received by fishermen sailing thousands of miles chasing albacore tuna during their migration across the Atlantic. Miguel Neira says he was also struck by the abundance of small fish, less than five kilos, especially in September.
Of the 50 boats that sold albacore in Burela this summer, 40 belonged to other ports.