Luis Planas presents awards at the VI National Tuna Congress. Photo: VI Congreso Nacional del Atún

VI National Tuna Congress: Ecuador and Seychelles call on Spain to defend common fishing interests before the EU

Minister Luis Planas highlights the work of the tuna fleet in promoting a competitive, sustainable and profitable fishing sector, as well as its key role in the future of our food systems

Madrid - Representatives of the governments of Ecuador and Seychelles, present at the VI National Tuna Congress, organized by the Organization of Associated Producers of Large Freezer Tuna Vessels (OPAGAC), have urged Spain to defend common fishing interests with both countries before the European Union. According to these representatives, this defense is essential to guarantee socioeconomic development and the sustainability of resources in both coastal countries, whose economy depends largely on tropical tuna fishing.

During the same forum, the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, Luis Planas, highlighted the work of the Spanish tuna fleet in promoting a competitive, sustainable and profitable fishing sector, in addition to its essential role in the future of our food systems.

"Spain must be the voice of Ecuador in Europe," said Rafaela Hurtado, Ecuador's Deputy Minister of Aquaculture and Fisheries. Hurtado highlighted that in 2023 her country exported 162,000 tons of fishery products to the EU, worth 900 million dollars, with Spain being the destination of 19% of these exports. She also asked Spanish tuna companies to increase their investments and strengthen public-private collaboration, a request shared by Jean-François Ferrari, Minister of Fisheries and Blue Economy of Seychelles, who added that it is necessary to "face challenges such as climate change, the fight against illegal fishing and insecurity in the Indian Ocean."

For her part, Isabel Artime, Secretary General for Fisheries of the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, reaffirmed Spain's commitment to maintaining and expanding the network of fisheries partnership agreements, highlighting their importance in strengthening governance, promoting cooperation in research, guaranteeing legal certainty for both Spanish companies and coastal countries, and contributing to food security by supplying fishery products to local markets.

Artime also underlined Spain's leadership in tuna fishing and processing, which represents 30% of the Spanish fleet's catches and more than 73% of canned fish production. This sector generates more than 11,000 direct jobs, including 1,650 crew members, and creates another 25,000 jobs in the countries where the Spanish fleet operates.

Strategic role in food supply

The VI National Tuna Congress included a discussion panel on the importance of guaranteeing an accessible and responsible supply of an essential protein such as tuna. In this context, Izaskun Bilbao, former European parliamentarian, highlighted the leadership of the Spanish tuna fleet in innovation, social and environmental awareness, and internationalization, compared to other fleets that do not meet the same quality standards. Bilbao insisted on the need for European authorities to promote labels that certify and differentiate sustainable products in the market, “empowering consumers and encouraging support for sustainability through their purchasing decisions.”

Samuel Juárez, from Madrid Investment Attraction, criticised the fact that the EU has reduced the priority of food safety in its policies in recent years, favouring the import of products from countries with lower standards and adopting initiatives such as the European Green Pact, “which do not provide producers with the necessary tools to deal with the reduction in food production”.

For his part, Manuel Pimentel, former Minister of Labour and Social Affairs, pointed out that the increase in the cost of the shopping basket has returned food to the centre of consumer concerns, who “demand healthy, varied and reasonably priced food”. This, according to Pimentel, will force the next Community Executive to place food among its priorities.

The Congress also included a presentation in which representatives of MSC and the tuna companies Albacora and Nauterra addressed the challenge of transferring to the market the effort and investment of the sector in obtaining the blue seal and the AENOR Responsible Fishing Tuna (APR) certificate. In addition, they analyzed the impact on the tuna value chain of the Due Diligence Directive, which will oblige companies that market their products in the EU to ensure that their supply is socially and environmentally sustainable.

Mariví Sánchez, Director of Sustainability and Communication at Nauterra, and Borja Alonso, Corporate Director of Sustainability, Institutional Relations and External Communication at Albacora, agreed in pointing out the responsibility of the commercial distribution sector, which must adapt to these regulations and certifications. According to Alonso, “self-regulation is no longer sufficient, and as these regulations become more widespread, they will force other operators to comply with the same standards.”

Nutritional importance and low environmental footprint

At the last panel of the Congress, dedicated to tuna as a source of health and its low environmental impact, Antonio Escribano Zafra, a specialist in endocrinology and nutrition, warned about the proliferation of pseudoscientific reports that exaggerate the risks of consuming fishery products, especially tuna. Escribano recalled that, contrary to this information, “tuna contains numerous elements that are essential for various functions of the human body.”

For his part, Gumersindo Feijoo highlighted the low carbon footprint of tuna, a crucial aspect considering that, according to the latest barometer, “climate change is the main concern of consumers in Europe, followed by the economic situation and the sustainability of food.”

After this last roundtable, Minister Luis Planas, together with the president of Cepesca and managing director of OPAGAC, Julio Morón, presented awards to Izaskun Bilbao for her support in defending the interests of the fleet in Brussels, and to Eliseo Villar, CEO of Corporación Atunera Internacional and senior shipowner of the tuna organization.

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