The Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries, Water, and Rural Development has published a new call for grants in the Official Gazette of the Andalusian Government (BOJA), initially endowed with 200,000 euros, aimed at promoting investments in equipment and improvements on board fishing vessels in the autonomous community.
«The objective of this initiative is to reduce the environmental impact of fishing, support the gradual elimination of discards, and facilitate the transition towards sustainable exploitation of marine resources,» explained the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries, Water, and Rural Development, Ramón Fernández-Pacheco.
The call includes grants for investments that contribute to reducing the footprint of fishing activities, promoting selectivity in catches, and facilitating sustainable use of biological marine resources. Additionally, although the initial budget is 200,000 euros, the possibility of increasing this amount up to an additional 3,000,000 euros by 2025 is established, if necessary to meet all submitted requests.
These grants are aimed at owners of fishing vessels based in Andalusia and will be granted on a competitive basis. Eligible actions include the installation of equipment that improves the selectivity of fishing gear, systems to reduce unwanted catches, and technologies that mitigate the impact on marine ecosystems.
The deadline for submitting applications will be 15 business days, counted from the day following the publication of the call in the BOJA. The processing must be done through the electronic headquarters of the Junta de Andalucía.
This measure is part of the strategy of the Junta de Andalucía to promote a more sustainable, efficient, and environmentally friendly fishing industry, ensuring the viability of the Andalusian fishing sector and the conservation of marine resources for future generations.