The crew of a fishing boat dumped a tonne of freshly caught anchovies into the sea in front of Caleta de Vélez in the Axarquía because the market prices were humilliatingly low.
The fish market auction price fell to below 1.5 euros per 10 kg box (just 15 cents per kilo) due to a heavily saturated market. This situation was caused by a massive influx of fish arriving from other regions (Huelva, Cádiz, and Northern Spain) which completely overwhelmed local demand.
A 10-kilo box of anchovies usually sells for 20 euros, which would have given the skipper 2,000 euros, which is still a struggle to maintain the boat & crew.
We’re talking about 150 euros for that tonne of anchovies when the price of diesel costs them between 1.30 and 1.40 euros per litre, to which you can add wages and Social Security payments, bringing the cost of a day’s fishing to around 1,500 euros (ten times the price offered for the one-tonne catch).
When we mention wages, the profit margin is so narrow that a skilled fishing hand will probably take home as little as 500 euros a month.
Dumping a tonne of dead anchovies into the water just off the shore drew a backlash on Social Media because many felt that they should have donated the fish. However, the skipper explained that the regional fisheries inspectors explicitly ordered them to dump the catch.
Things can’t go on like this and even the fishing federation FENAPA warns that the fleet is “working at a loss,” government aid is insufficient, and the current situation violates Spain’s Food-Chain Law. Furthermore, automated European storage-safety measures and local donation alternatives are highly restricted by rigid health & market, bureaucratic rules.
(News: Caleta de Velez, Axarquia, Costa del Sol, Malaga, Andalucia)
Keywords: Anchovies, Dumped in Sea, Market Prices, Saturation, Fuel Costs, Wages, Social Security, Regulations
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