We start the 2025 bluefin tuna fishing season

• The fleet commanded by Balfegó will capture an assigned quota of 3,700 tons
• It will generate more than 350 direct jobs, which implies a growth of between 18% – 20%, compared to the jobs created in 2024.

Balfegó Grup will start the annual bluefin tuna (Thunnus Thynnus) fishing campaign on May 26th. The company will have until July 1st to catch the quota assigned to the different Spanish, French and Italian vessels, suppliers of Balfegó, which this year totals 3,700 tons. Specifically, Balfegó will captain a fleet of 13 European vessels, including the Frau II and Tio Gel Segón owned by the company based in Ametlla de Mar, to which are added 26 auxiliary vessels.

During this campaign Balfegó will generate more than 350 direct jobs, which implies a growth of between 18% – 20%, compared to the jobs created in 2024. Once again the company is confident that the weather will be favorable to work normally and without the need to remain anchored for any day.

Balfegó once again highlights in this campaign the advance of approximately two or three weeks of the arrival of bluefin tuna in the Balearic fishing grounds, as a direct consequence of the warming of the Mediterranean waters. For this reason, Balfegó considers it essential to take into account the impact of climate change on the behavior of the species and to study the possibility of advancing the start of the campaign to guarantee more efficient and operational fishing.

This campaign is the second in which Balfegó works under the B Corp sustainability seal, which it obtained in March 2024, being the first company in the Spanish fishing sector to achieve it. Precisely, one of the actions that support this certificate is the “Balfegó protocol” that the company applies to its fishery and which is a pioneer in practices that guarantee animal welfare and crew safety.

Among some of its measures, the Balfegó protocol foresees a maximum of three catches and transfers per day, the immediate transfer of the catch to the transport pool, and not catching very large schools of bluefin tuna (with too many specimens). All this also translates into a palpable increase in the eco-efficiency of the fleet and a reduction in its environmental impact, also ensuring the welfare of the animals.

Once again, the Balfegó fishing campaign will be attended by thirteen independent observers –members of the International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas (ICCAT). Likewise, the fishing operations and the transfer of tuna caught between pools will be monitored by stereoscopic cameras that will allow the average weight of the catches to be determined with accuracy.

Below is a video of the preparations for the campaign: