Spain will test submersible aquaculture facilities to jumpstart the struggling bluefin tuna fishery

Spain will test submersible aquaculture facilities to jumpstart bluefin tuna fishery. Two new submersible aquaculture facilities are set to be installed off the coast of Getaria, Spain, as part of a pilot project to revitalise the struggling bluefin tuna fishery in the Cantabrian Sea. The initiative, spearheaded by a company created by the AZTI technology centre and the Catalan company Balfegó called Itsasbalfegó, plans to catch live bluefin tuna using purse seine gear in collaboration with the Basque fishing fleet. Subsequently, the catches will be fattened to assess their economic and environmental viability. This pilot project could potentially transform the region’s fishing industry. “The main challenge will be to determine whether it is viable to use purse seine gear for bluefin tuna fishing in the Bay of Biscay,” said Juan José Navarro, assistant director of Balfegó, a company specialising in catching, feeding, studying and marketing bluefin tuna. “If this is achieved, and ...