The sea temperature off the Valencian coast has risen by approximately 1.4 degrees Celsius over the past two decades, according to data from the Spanish Oceanographic Institute. That might sound modest, but for the fishing communities that depend on predictable seasonal patterns, it represents a significant disruption.
Species that were once reliable summer catches — certain varieties of mullet, sea bass, and the smaller pelagic fish that support the artisanal fishing sector — are appearing earlier in the year, or in different locations, or in smaller numbers. Meanwhile, species from warmer waters are moving north, some of them commercially valuable, others less so.
Adapting the Fleet
Some fishermen have adapted by targeting new species. The blowfish, which arrived in Mediterranean waters about fifteen years ago and was initially regarded as a nuisance, is now caught commercially in several ports. Its preparation requires a licence — the liver and skin are toxic — but the flesh is considered a delicacy in Japan, and a small export trade has developed.
Others are finding adaptation harder. The regulations governing which species can be caught, in what quantities, and with what equipment were written for a different sea. Updating them requires coordination between the national government, the regional administrations, and the EU — a process that moves considerably slower than the climate.
"The fish don't wait for the regulations to catch up," said one fisherman in the port of Vinaròs, who has been working the same waters for thirty years. "We have to catch what's there."