Balfegó will launch its bluefin tuna fishing campaign on May 19 with an allocated quota of 4,045 tonnes

At Balfegó, we will launch our annual bluefin tuna (Thunnus thynnus) fishing campaign on May 19. Until July 1, we will have a total allocated quota of 4,045 tonnes, resulting from the commercial agreements we maintain with Spanish, French, and Italian vessels.

This campaign will involve a fleet of 13 purse seine vessels — including our own boats, Frau II and Tio Gel Segon — as well as 26 auxiliary vessels. Altogether, the campaign will generate more than 350 direct jobs, further strengthening the economic and social impact of our activity in the region.

As across the sector, the earlier start of the campaign responds to the adaptation of the fishing calendar to changes detected in the migratory behaviour of bluefin tuna, linked to the progressive warming of Mediterranean waters. We are confident that weather conditions will allow us to carry out the campaign under normal conditions.

Once again, we will carry out this campaign under the B Corp certification, which we obtained in March 2024, becoming the first company in the Spanish fishing sector to achieve this recognition. This certification endorses our environmental, social, and governance practices, as well as our commitment to a responsible fishing model.

Among these practices, our “Balfegó Protocol” stands out as a pioneering initiative aimed at ensuring both animal welfare and crew safety. The protocol establishes, among other measures, a maximum of three catches and transfers per day, the immediate transfer of captured tuna to transport pools, and the limitation of catches involving excessively large schools. These measures help us improve the eco-efficiency of our fleet, reduce environmental impact, and ensure more responsible management of the species.

As usual, the campaign will be supervised by thirteen independent observers from the International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas (ICCAT). In parallel, all fishing and transfer operations will be monitored using stereoscopic cameras capable of accurately determining the average weight of the catches.