Interactive assessment of the economic impact of fishing opportunities on Spanish fleets

The challenge

Understanding the real economic impact of fishing opportunities is essential to ensure the sustainability and competitiveness of Spanish fishing fleets.

The implementation of the landing obligation has increased the complexity of fisheries management, as quotas for certain species can limit fleet activity and affect profitability.

In addition, the management of bycatch and protected species adds a further layer of difficulty to decision-making in multi-species fisheries.

The challenge was to create a tool capable of anticipating the economic effects of different TAC and quota negotiation scenarios, supporting fisheries managers in making informed and sustainable decisions.

The solution

AZTI has developed an interactive application based on Shiny to assess and visualise the economic impact of scientific advice on maximum catches, both by stock and by fleet.

This tool enables negotiators and decision-makers to analyse, in real time, the economic implications of proposals issued by different scientific bodies, improving management efficiency and enhancing transparency in the decision-making process.

Key features include:

• Distribution of the value of each stock across different fleets.
• Degree of dependence of each fleet on specific stocks.
• Value of relative stability, i.e. the share corresponding to Spain according to the scientific catch advice under the relative stability principle.
• Potential economic impact of different catch advice scenarios on stock value and fleet revenues.
• Simulation of negotiation scenarios that can be assessed prior to formal approval.

Thanks to its intuitive visual interface, the tool allows users to test different negotiation scenarios and anticipate their economic effects, enabling more strategic and informed decision-making.

The results

• A fully operational Shiny application covering all Spanish fishing fleets.

• Immediate visualisation of key indicators showing the economic impact of different management scenarios.

• Strong support for TAC and quota negotiations, with greater objectivity and transparency.

• Optimised fisheries management by identifying vulnerable fleets, facilitating fair compensation mechanisms, and strengthening the economic and social sustainability of the sector.