The application of European regulations relating to the thickness of the mesh of trawl nets is causing concern to the fishermen of La Caleta de Vélez who claim that catches are down by 40% compared to 2011.
The new regulations came into effect on October 18th and daily catches have gone down from around 750 boxes per day in 2011 to 400 boxes in 2012. One of the main reasons for this, according to the Fishermen’s Association, is that most of the authorised species of fish escape.
In addition, the Associations claims that the thinner mesh results in more damage to the fish, which in turn leads to lower prices at the auctions.