La Junta destina más de 13 millones en ayudas al sector pesquero y acuícola andaluz
The Government Council has taken note of the grants that the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries, Water, and Rural Development has made available to the Andalusian aquaculture and fishing sector, totaling a multi-year budget of 13 million euros and funded through the European Maritime, Fisheries, and Aquaculture Fund (Fempa). The grants include financial resources aimed at improving the transformation and commercialization of products from fishing and aquaculture (10.5 million euros); as well as incentives for projects by the Local Action Groups of the Fishing and Aquaculture Sector (Galpa) in Andalusia (just over 2.5 million euros).
In the case of improvements in transformation and commercialization, the grants will support initiatives carried out between 2025 and 2027 that seek to promote the sector’s green transition. The grants will be awarded to actions that reduce environmental impact, promote marine environment protection, or foster circular economy. Additionally, projects that support more sustainable production and commercialization systems and aim to mitigate the effects of climate change and help the sector adapt to these circumstances will also be supported.
Among the eligible concepts are the implementation of procedures that commercially exploit unwanted catches and fishing by-products; the implementation of new transformation systems that enhance the quality and added value of products, and measures that enhance traceability and food safety through labeling and identification systems.
As for the beneficiaries, small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) operating in Andalusia in the field of marketing and transformation of fishing and aquaculture products (canning, smoking, freezing, and filleting industries) can apply for these incentives. This industrial sector comprises a total of 136 companies in Andalusia, with a production value of around 890 million euros in the economic sphere. This amount includes the value of products from 77 entities dedicated to transformation (over 747 million euros) and 59 wholesale companies that also engage in fish product transformation (around 142 million euros). In terms of employment, it is estimated that this sector employs about 6,000 people in Andalusia, with 4,100 working in transformation industries.
Furthermore, the 13 million euros in incentives for the fishing sector called by the Andalusian government also include the second call for grants supporting projects under the local development strategies of the Local Action Groups of the Fishing and Aquaculture Sector (Galpa) in Andalusia. Specifically, more than 2.5 million euros are allocated to this grant line distributed among five entities recognized by the Andalusian Government.
Thus, 500,000 euros are allocated for actions planned by the Galpa of Huelva; 850,000 euros for initiatives by the group from Cádiz; and 300,000 euros for the Fishing Development Group in the province of Málaga. In the case of the Local Action Group of Fishing and Aquaculture of Granada and Western Almeria, a grant of 386,250 euros is allocated, and finally, the Maritime Development Association of Fishing and Aquaculture Almería to Levante is assigned a grant of 500,000 euros.
These funds are added to the first call opened in 2025 for the same purpose with a budget of almost four million euros, so the total amount allocated by the Andalusian Government this year to support the projects of the local development strategies of Galpa amounts to 6.5 million euros. Taking into account the two calls opened last year to support these same actions (around six million euros) and the grants awarded for the operating expenses of the Andalusian Galpa until 2027 (4.5 million), the total amount of grants made available to the groups between 2023 and 2025 by the Andalusian Government exceeds 17 million euros.
The Local Action Groups of the Fishing and Aquaculture Sector are public-private associations formed by representatives of fishermen’s guilds, fishing organizations, municipalities, women’s associations, and other economic and social agents linked to these activities. Their goal is to promote economic diversification in areas dependent on fishing and aquaculture, promoting tourism, the transformation of fish products, and training. To achieve this, they act as territory dynamizers by facilitating initiatives that arise from the residents of the area to meet the specific needs of each region.
