Fishing port of Gijón

Date of visit: 22/05/2025
General information
Port authority: Gijón
Administrator: Ports of the State
Port description:

Commercial, nautical-sport, tourism, fishing, and shipyard activities, fish market.
Fishing practice: for WIF, three trawlers from the Mares Circulares project (with lengths ranging from 28 to 36 meters) are collaborating
Landings: Atlantic mackerel, European anchovy, and Atlantic bonito

Management of used fishing gear

Equipment
  • Open areas for the storage of big bags containing WIF.
  • Shipboard crane and forklifts for unloading and transport within the port.
Management
  • The removal of nets, other than gill nets, is handled by the Chicolino company.
  • No management is carried out for EOLFG.
  • No network recovery facilities available.
  • Recycling has been attempted, but is not viable due to low volumes, long distances to recovery facilities, and the excessively high cleaning requirements of the nets.
  • No material reuse to date.
Reuse
  • WIF are collected in big bags (1m3) on board the vessels.
  • Upon arrival at the port, unloading is performed by the fishermen using the vessel’s cranes. Small vessels carry it out manually.
  • With the help of a forklift, the fishermen transport the big bags containing WIF waste and deposit them in makeshift open areas near the fish market.
  • Waste sorting is not carried out at the port; it is the responsibility of the authorized manager to separate the different materials, mainly distinguishing between mixed plastics – which include trawl nets, bags, and plastic sheets – and PET.
  • The company Reciclados Plásticos A Cañiza is responsible for removing the waste to its facilities, where tonnage control is conducted.
  • Amount of WIF: 4.64t (2019), 10.9t (2020), 7.7t (2021), 5.78t (2022) and 4.76t (2023)
  • Total WIF over 5 years: approximately 33 tons.
Passive fishing for litter

Current pratices
  • PFW is collected in big bags (1m3) on board the vessels.
  • Upon arrival at the port, unloading is performed by the fishermen using the vessel’s cranes. Small vessels carry it out manually.
  • With the help of a forklift, the fishermen transport the big bags containing PFW waste and deposit them in makeshift open areas near the fish market. In the future, they will be deposited at the MARPOL Point.
  • Waste sorting is carried out at the port every three months; it is the responsibility of Vertidos Cero within the framework of the Mares Circulares Project.
  • Amount of PFW: 4.64t (2019), 10.9t (2020), 7.7t (2021), 5.78t (2022) and 4.76t (2023)
  • Total PFW over 5 years: approximately 33t.
Constraints and bests practices

Constraints
  • The mixing of waste, resulting from the coexistence of fishermen, fish buyers, and processing companies in fishing areas, complicates effective waste management.
  • Recycling of the nets is unfeasible due to the considerable distances to processing facilities and the excessively stringent cleaning requirements.
  • Quantification, characterisation and valorisation of specific items/fractions when removal is linked to projects.
  • Inadequate use of containers by other port users.
Bests practices et objectives
  • Fishing for Litter is only carried out under the Mares Circulares project in collaboration with Vertidos Cero.
  • Established history of proactive engagement in projects and initiatives associated with the project.
  • Vertidos Cero develops awareness-raising actions and provides onboard collection systems.
  • Proper information transmission to fishermen regarding the importance of FfL actions by project members.

Objectives:

  • Facilitate data collection and enhance the traceability of waste delivery points.
  • Interest in having a GIS to facilitate the monitoring, localization, and planning of the collection and valorization of fishing nets, in order to improve the efficiency and sustainability of the process.
  • Establish a management system for fishing gear and promote extended producer responsibility to address the shortage of recyclers in the area.
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