vVESTERN EUROPE 



SPAIN 



Tuna fishing is one of the oldest industries of Spain « Bluefin, 

 albacore, and other tuna and tunalike fishes are caught in consider*- 

 able numbers as they skirt the coasts of Spain and the Canary Islards 

 d'oring their migrations . Bluefin are taken mainly along the Spanish 

 south coast en route to the Mediterranean Sea in the spring to spawn; 

 lesser numbers are caught as the fish return to the ocean in the falL. 

 Albacore are of equal importsmce, but are captured mainly along the 

 north and northwest coasts, Bonito is also important, though less 

 valuable, and several other species of small tunalike fish are taken 

 in minor quantities. Also classified in Spanish statistics under 

 bonito are skipjack and yellowtail. 



Fishing along the south coast is mainly by large trap nets ex- 

 bending into the sea from coastal projections. Since 1928 trap 

 operation has been urder Consorcio Naci onal AlmadraberO j, a monopoly 

 owned 48 percent by the government , Major trap installations are at 

 Tarifa, Barbata, and Sanctipetri (C^diz Province) and near the Portu- 

 guese border (Pro'vince of Huelva) , In the south and other areas tuna 

 are also caught t^ trolling, shore seines, purse seines, and gilL netSo 



Recent recorded landings by Spain's tuna fishermen are given in 

 table 33 o The Canary Island catch is about one-tenth of the Spanish 

 total. 



Much of the tuna catch is marketed fresh or frozen; sizable 

 quantities are salt'^d, dried, or canned in oil., In 1945j. when 

 64,r70>000 pounds of the three principal species were caught, at 

 least 7>074,000 pounds of canned tuna and 4,683,000 pounds of salted 

 tuna were produced. During and after World War II, exports of can- 

 ned tuna in oil varied from 2,000,000 to 7,837,000 pounds annually. 

 Prewar canned tuna exports were much larger, 34,506,000 pounds being 

 recorded for 1931» Italy and Switzerland were the principal mari<ets 

 in 1949; as shown by the export data for canned tuna in table 34, 



The tuna canning industry in recent years has been handicapped 

 by a shortage of tinplate owing to the small domestic tin production 

 and to the limitations on foreign exchange for purchasing tin abroad. 

 Relatively high production costs also are said to have placed Spanish 

 canned tuna at a disadvantage on the world market » 



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