Additional fishing days 2026: 2,454 extra days for 301 bottom trawl vessels in the Mediterranean

Key data

Vessel owners of the Mediterranean bottom trawl fleet who requested and accredited the use of flying doors or semi-pelagic doors receive additional sea days in 2026. The Resolution of 29 July 2026 from the General Secretariat of Fisheries resolves the call opened by the Resolution of 17 June 2026 and formalizes the distribution of 2,454 days among 301 vessels.

This allocation responds to the incentive system for voluntary measures that allows the fleet to recover days of activity in exchange for adopting fishing gear or equipment with lower impact on the seabed.

What does this regulation establish?

The resolution specifies the following elements of the additional days distribution:

• Total volume: 2,454 additional days, equivalent to 3% of total days attributed to Spain for the Mediterranean bottom trawl fleet in 2026.
• Beneficiaries: 301 vessels that requested the call and accredited the use of flying doors or semi-pelagic doors.
• Allocation criterion: Linear distribution by length segment and fishery type (coastal or deep-sea). Each vessel receives the same amount of additional days within its segment and modality.
• Accumulation: Additional days are added to those already assigned in the February 2026 resolution, increasing the total number of available days for each vessel.
• Transfer restriction: Additional days cannot be transferred between different length segments within the same management entity.
• Optimization mechanism: Unused surplus between October and December may be redistributed through the optimization mechanism provided for in Article 9 of the Order APA/423/2020.
• Appeal: The resolution may be appealed to the Minister of Agriculture within one month from its publication.

Economic and operational impact

Each additional fishing day represents for a vessel owner the possibility of carrying out one more fishing trip, with the corresponding income from catches. The actual economic impact depends on the performance of each vessel, but the allocation of extra days has a direct effect on the annual revenue of the beneficiary fleet.

From an operational perspective, vessel owners must take into account the following restrictions that determine how they can use these days:

The restriction on transfer between length segments is the most relevant operational point: a management entity that manages vessels from different segments cannot move additional days from one segment to another, which requires planning activity within each segment independently.

Who does it affect?

• Vessel owners of the 301 Mediterranean bottom trawl vessels included in the resolution.
• Fishing brotherhoods that act as management entities for the Mediterranean trawl fleet.
• Management entities that coordinate vessels from different length segments and must plan the use of additional days respecting the restriction on non-transfer between segments.
• Vessel owners who did not request the call or did not accredit the use of flying doors: they do not receive additional days and are excluded from the distribution.

Practical example

A fishing brotherhood manages a bottom trawl fleet in the Mediterranean with vessels from two different length segments: smaller coastal vessels and larger deep-sea vessels. All requested the call and accredited the use of flying doors.

Following the resolution, each group of vessels receives additional days linearly according to its segment and modality (coastal or deep-sea). If the brotherhood has, for example, coastal vessels with 4 additional days assigned each and deep-sea vessels with 6 additional days each, it cannot transfer surplus days from coastal vessels to deep-sea vessels, even though both groups belong to the same management entity.

If between October and December some vessel does not exhaust its additional days, that surplus may be redistributed within the same length segment through the optimization mechanism of Article 9 of Order APA/423/2020, thus maximizing the use of the assigned quota.

What should companies do now?

1. Verify inclusion in the resolution: Check that the vessel is among the 301 beneficiaries and that the additional days assigned are correct according to the length segment and fishery type.
2. Update fishing trip planning: Incorporate additional days into the activity calendar of each vessel, adding them to those already assigned in February 2026.
3. Respect the segment restriction: Do not plan transfers of additional days between vessels of different length segments within the management entity, as it is expressly prohibited.
4. Prepare the optimization mechanism for the Oct-Dec period: If it is foreseen that some vessel will not exhaust its additional days between October and December, activate the procedure of Article 9 of Order APA/423/2020 to redistribute the surplus within the same segment.
5. File an appeal if appropriate: If you believe the allocation is incorrect, file an appeal to the Minister of Agriculture within one month from publication (before 31 August 2026).

Official source

Consult complete regulation in official source

Notice: This article is for informational purposes only and does not constitute legal advice. For specific decisions, consult a qualified professional. Source: https://www.boe.es/diario_boe/txt.php?id=BOE-A-2026-16729