The Spanish Mediterranean tuna fleet, which is mainly concentrated in L’Atmetlla, Tarragona started the Bluefin tuna season with delay due to bad sea weather conditions.
Two of the six tuna vessels left for Africa three weeks ago to catch Bluefin tuna in Atlantic waters, however the remaining four vessels, which only fish in the Mediterranean, awaited until waters were more calm. Although the first tuna banks can be caught since March, they have just now recently started their fishing activities.
Therefore, the Bluefin season, which normally lasts six months, has started off with one-month delay because of the many storms in waters of the Catalan coast during March.
The four vessels were well prepared before departing and were not certain of the return date. “This depends on how the sea weather is and on how the tuna fishing goes†said one of the 14 crewmen of the tuna vessel Gepus, from L’Atmetlla de Mar, Mr. Amadeu Comes. “We will start off fishing on the coast of Gerona until the month of June and then head out for the Balearic Islandsâ€, he said.
Not only have the tuna fishermen lost one-month period due to sea weather conditions, but they will also have to interrupt their activities from July 15th until August 15th to comply with the biological tuna fishing ban, which affects this species that migrates from the Atlantic to the Mediterranean during six months each year.