Spanish Fishing Confederation

Cepesca, the Spanish Fishing Confederation, was created in June 2007.

With its creation the most important national fisheries companies was founded. Cepesca has a European scope and is one of the most representative Fisheries companies of the world, which brings together:      - 38 ship-owner associations - 750 fishing enterprises.- 861 vessels.- 10,000 crew members.- 225.277,07 GTs.- 1,000 million euros as economic value

It emcompasses 95 % of the long distance fleet, a large percentage of the medium sized coastal fleet and 75% of the total volume, in terms of Gross Tonnage of the Spanish fishing fleet.  

Join forces to better defend the economic and professional interests of the Spanish fisheries sector.

Improve companies competitiveness, encouraging fishermen vocation and improving fisheries image.

Be a privileged interlocutor of the various administrations, promoting dialogue and collaboration with them.

Promote the development of sustainable and responsible fisheries, encouraging contact and teamwork with research institutions.

Combating illegal fishing (IUU)

With regard to the different fleet segments, Cepesca represents, among others:

          - 100% of the Spanish tuna freezer purse seine fleet.

          - 100% of the Mediterranean tuna purse seiners.

- 100% of the shrimp and cephalopods trawlers.  

         - 70 % of bottom longline fleet.

         - Nearly 95% of the surface longline fleet and NAFO trawler fleet.           - 95% of the Great Sole Bank.

          - 90 % of cod fleet

          - National fishing grounds: a large percentage of the Mediterranean fleet, the Gulf of Cadiz fleet, north-west Cantabrian ground and Ices zone IX in Portuguese waters.

FISHING GEARSPurse seiners, trawlers, surface and bottom longlines , gillnets and small scale fisheries. Covering almost all commercial species, respecting and promoting the principles of sustainable and responsible fisheries.

SPECIESTropical tuna (yellowfin, skipjacket and bigeye tuna), swordfish, mako sharks, blue shark, tuna, albacora, bream, snapper, cod, hake, black hake, john dory, monkfish, halibut, skate, flounder, ling, pollack, sea bream , blue whiting, mackerel, horse mackerel, sardines, anchovies, shrimp, crawfish, crayfish, crab, shrimp, greenland halibut, rockfish, squid, octopus, cuttlefish and many others.

FISHING GROUNDSCepesca fishing vessels are active worldwide, both at Spanish waters, and in EU waters, and also in the waters of numerous Third countries that have signed Fisheries Partnership agreements with the EU, such as: Morocco, Mauritania, Cape Verde, Guinea, Guinea Bissau, Ivory Coast, Gabon, Sao Tome and Principe, Comoros, Madagascar, Seychelles, Mozambique, Mauritius, Kiribati, Solomon Islands, Micronesia, Greenland, etc.., and in the High seas of the Atlantic, Indian and Pacific Oceans, and the Mediterranean Sea.

12 associations from Andalucia,

10 from Galicia,

5 from Catalonia,

3 from Valencia,

3 from Basque Country,

1 from Balearic Islands,

1 from Cantabria ,

1 from Canary Islands

2 from Madrid

o Ministry of Agriculture, Foodo and Environment

o General Secretariat of fisheries

o Ministry of Science and o Innovation

o Ministry of Employment and o Immigration

o Ministry of Public Works and o Transport

o Ministry of Health and o Consumption

o Ministry of Industry, Tourismo and Trade

o Fisheries Advisory Committee

o Monitoring Committee of the European Fisheries Fond

o Social Marine Institute:

General Council, National andRegional Executive Committee

o Fisheries Scientific Forum for the Mediterranean Sea

o Governing Council of the Spanish Institute of Oceanography

o Scientific Forums

o Food Price Watch

o Committee on Commercial Names of Spanish Fisheries

o Rescue and Maritime Safety Agency

o Joint Committee on Fisheries and Aquaculture of the Tripartite Foundation for Training Employment

o General Secretariat of Foreign Trade

o Coordination Committee of the EU institutions

o Board of Trustees Technological Institute for the Development of Maritime Industries

o Economic and Social Council

o General Council of Agri Food interbrach Organizations

o Advisory Committee for Fisheries and Aquaculture in the EU (ACFA)

o Sectoral Social Dialogue Committee for Maritime Fisheries

o European Parlament

o EU Council

o Regional Advisory Councils (RACs)

o European Commission: DG-MARE, SANCO, Trade, Research, ....

o Fisheries, Environment and Trade Commissions of the European Parliament.

o European Economic and Social Committee

o Franco-Spanish Committee for Fisheries and Anglo-Spanish Committee for Fisheries

o European Investment Bank

o United Nations (UNICPOLOS, FAO, UNIDO, ....)

o Cites CBD

o OECD

o IUCN

o RFMOs

o International Labour Organization

o World Bank

o International Associations of Organizations of Mediterranean Fishing Proffesionals

o Regional Fisheries

o CEOE - Spanish Confederation of Employers' Organizations

o PTEPA - Spanish Technology Platform for Fisheries and o Aquaculture

o CME – Spanish Maritime Cluster

o EUROPECHE - Association of National Organisations of Fishery Enterprises in the European Union (chaired by Javier Garat)

o ICFA - International Coalition of Fisheries Association

o EFTP – European Technology Platform for Fisheries and Aquaculture (chaired by Javier Garat)

Spanish Fishing Confederation