The waters of the Gipuzkoan town of Getaria will be the epicenter of an unprecedented project on the Cantabrian coast and which will mean a notable change in the local fishing culture. The Basque technology center Azti and the Catalan company Balfegó are finalizing the start-up of live bluefin tuna fattening facilities in submersible cages never before used in Spain. The goal is to fatten 500 tons of bluefin tuna per year and test the possibilities of purse seine fishing for tuna in the Cantabrian Sea.
Purse seine fishing, with meshes, is allowed in the Cantabrian Sea for anchovy or mackerel, but not for tuna or bonito, which are caught with a rod. In the Mediterranean, this fishing gear is also allowed for tuna, although the submersible cages that will be used in the new project have not been used so far. In other words, the project that will be implemented in Getaria proposes two innovations, purse seine fishing and the use of submersible cages, which will transform the local fishing culture and the extent to which they will be implemented in the future remains to be seen.
The project will need a series of permits to go ahead, although no problems are foreseen in this regard. The main administrative change is to allow purse seine fishing for tuna in the Cantabrian Sea, something that will place it in this regard at the level of the Mediterranean, where they have been fishing for this type of fish using this technique for decades.
In any case, the project would not be possible without the implementation of submersible cages, a guarantee against the inclemencies of the Cantabrian Sea.
This is how Juanjo Navarro, assistant to the management of Grup Balfegó, explains it: “The Cantabrian Sea is a harsh sea in which there are much more severe wind or wave conditions. Submersible cages, however, offer possibilities to avoid the effects of eventual storms. In the event that the forecasts anticipate unfavorable conditions, we can install a net cover in the pools and submerge them to a depth of 40 or 50 meters, so that the fish would not suffer the conditions of the waves or the wind. Once this storm has passed, the cages will be refloated and the process will continue”.
The type of fishing that will be experienced in Getaria represents a substantial change with respect to the fishing culture of the Cantabrian Sea. The alliance between Azti and Balfegó has sought to make the Basque fleet a protagonist in this project, so that it will have to adapt to changes.
The procedure will be as follows. The fishing boats will set off to capture schools of bluefin tuna in the Bay of Biscay with seine nets. Once captured, they will need to have a second ship with a transport cage nearby. Once the fish are fenced, they will be transferred to the aforementioned cage, where they will spend hours or even days. Finally, the fish will be transferred to the submersible cages set on the Basque coast, using technological instruments and cameras to guarantee the process and undertake the count.
Once in the fattening facility, the tuna will be fed solely and exclusively on blue fish from the Atlantic for weeks or months. "When they have a level of fat recovery and an adequate size, the slaughter process will be organized," says Navarro.
From Grup Balfegó they point out that this method will allow the fish to be introduced to the market in an orderly manner, given the current situation, closely linked to weather conditions and, fundamentally, to whether or not it has been possible to go out to sea. The oscillations between supply and demand will be reduced, and the same will happen with the variations in prices. In this sense, it is a fishing model that focuses on marketing at all times.
Balfegó highlights that this fishing model is more sustainable than the one that has been practiced. In the first place, because the allowed fish quotas will be completed with fewer specimens. “At this time, having to raise the fish by hand, tuna weighing up to 40 kilos are caught. These are small to medium sized fish. Fish of 150 or 200 kilos cannot be uploaded”, says Juanjo Navarro.
Purse seine fishing and fattening in submersible cages will allow fewer, albeit larger, fish to be brought to market. In addition, they can be sold at a higher price. From Balfegó they also point out that it will mean a "reduction in CO2 emissions", since fishing will be more efficient.
Red tuna has the peculiarity that it infiltrates the fat into the muscle and is a highly appreciated fish for raw or semi-raw dishes, from oriental food to carpaccios or tuna tartares. Unlike the tuna fished in the Indian Ocean, its destination is not to be preserved and it is not intended to be eaten once cooked.
The Deputy Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Food Policy of the Basque Government, Bittor Oroz, stressed that it is an initiative that "gives added value" and that will allow "adapting to market demands".
