The Association of Cofradías de Gipuzkoa has sold for EUR 5 million the share of bluefin tuna or bluefin tuna of 450,000 kilos because it is more profitable to sell than to fish. Last year, 70% of the quota was sold, all this year. Thus, this year there will be no Eusko Label bluefin tuna in the fishmongers of the Autonomous Community. If the European Union sees that the operation will be repeated more often, the cofradías of the area will run the risk of running out of quotas. The Ecologist Association Eguzki has warned of other consequences.

As long as tuna vessels are caught in reed and in the old way by Basque fishermen, multinational companies are applying devastating techniques and have put bluefin tuna on the way to disappear. The environmental group advocates the need to change the quota policy in order to ensure the survival of this species, as the share of Basque fishermen is very low in order to achieve sufficient yield.

Eguzki has also approached the root of the problems suffered by fishermen: “The high cost of gas oil, the low amount of money that is paid on auction, the lack of control of fishing...”

Eguzki has asked the Administration to address the problem once and for all and not to “patches” because that “does not benefit food sovereignty.” In this sense, environmentalists believe that future alternatives must be promoted and have set as an example the call Ondarroa 12 Mila. This is an initiative that calls for an extension of the protection area of EUR 12 000 in order to maintain small-scale fishing on the Basque coast.