9. SPAIN

This country report was written by Maria del Mar Agraso and Jose Carlos Macias, Technological Centre Foundation of Aquaculture, Puerto de Santa Maria, Cadiz, Spain.

9.1 Introduction

Spain has an area of 504 645 km?, being the fourth largest country of the European continent after Russia, Ukraine and France. With an average altitude of 650 meters, it is one of the most mountainous countries in Europe. The Spanish population is around 47 million people, according to the municipal census of 2010 (INE, 2011).
The Spanish coast is 5 968 km long, 3 904 km along peninsular Spain, 910 km around the Balearic Islands, 1 125 km around the Canary Islands and 29 km in the African territories. Most of the Spanish coast stretches along the Atlantic shelf and oceanic ridge, partly constituted by the 359 km of the Cantabrian coast, whereas the Mediterranean basin has a coast 2 580 km long.
The waters of the Atlantic and Cantabrian systems are very dynamic, with currents, tides, waves, etc. and an average salinity of 35–36 percent, unlike the Mediterranean waters which are less dynamic, with negligible tides and higher temperatures with 37–38 percent salinity. In general, the temperature is warmer in the Mediterranean than in the Atlantic (Basurco B. & Larrazabal G., 2000).

The Mediterranean coast also has very contrasting features. The northeastern coast (Catalonia) has: small coastal plains, coasts with cliffs and some deltas. The eastern coast (Valencia) is characterized by the presence of a number of deltas stretching out into the sea, as well as sandy isthmuses linking small rocky islands to the mainland. There are also many coastal lagoons such as the Albufera of Valencia. The south-eastern and southern coasts (Murcia and Andalusia) are also much contrasted, with many cliffs alternating with long sections of low coasts, steep-sided torrential valleys and a narrow, almost continuous coastal plain. Mediterranean water temperature may range from 11 to 26°C.
Spain is a maritime country in which fishing is a traditional activity. It has one of the most important fishing fleets in the world, and contributes significantly to the national economy. The main data characterizing the sectors of fisheries and aquaculture in Spain is shown below:
Fishing fleet: In the latest data published in the 2009 census operational fishing fleet, the Spanish fleet among European countries represented in number of vessels 13 percent of the EU total, ranking at the third place after Greece and Italy; 80 percent of these vessels are inshore or traditional, more sustainable in principle (STECF, 2009).
Fish captures: Spanish fisheries production reached 1 020 908 tonnes in 2007 according to the European Commission data (European Commission, 2010), which represented 15.84 percent of EU countries total production.
Aquaculture: Spain is the main aquaculture producer of the EU with more than 280 000 tonnes, taking into account that most of it is mussels (European Commission, 2010).
Employment: With respect to employment in the fisheries sector, Spain, with more than 35 000 people in 2007, was the EU country with more jobs linked to the productive sector (European Commission, 2010).
Fish imports and exports: In 2007, Spain imported about 1 500 000 tonnes of fishery products and exported 934 793 tonnes, being one of the major importing countries in Europe (European Commission, 2010).
Fish consumption per capita: Regarding the consumption of seafood, Spain is the second country in the EU, behind Portugal, with about 41.2 kg per inhabitant per year, with the EU average being about 22.3 kg (European Commission, 2010).
Processing industry: In 2007, the processing industry in Spain generated a value of approximately 4 million euros, being the first country in the EU (European Commission, 2010).