Fishing port of A Coruña

Date of visit: 18/12/2024
General information
Port authority: A Coruña
Administrator: Ports of the State
Port description:

Multiple port activities, highlighting liquid and solid bulk traffic, as well as general cargo. Fishing is the main pillar of the port and has a fish market.
Fishing practice: 94 vessels (mostly small-scale), but the number rises to 190 when including boats that unload at the fish market but are not based at the port.
Landings: Poor cod, horse mackerel, mackerel, sardine, common bream, European anchovy, starling, hake, whiting, sole, megrim, skate, dogfish, black scorpionfish, monkfish, John Dory, red mullet, rockling, pollock, pipefish…

Management of used fishing gear

Equipment
  • Cages for the accumulation of nets in good condition.
  • Outdoor areas for the accumulation of damaged nets
  • Trailers and trucks for the transportation of larger nets.
Management
  • Once unloaded at the port, EOL nets and fishing gear are deposited manually or with the assistance of trucks and trailers. However, they are often improperly disposed of in containers or abandoned on the quay, with collection and management ultimately carried out by the port’s cleaning service
  • Nets in good condition or those that can be reused are managed by the company Chicolino, while damaged nets are handled by Terrarecicla or sent directly to the landfill.
  • No net dismantling practices are conducted at the port.
  • Members of the Sustainability Department are responsible for communication within the port regarding waste management.
  • An initiative for the recovery of discarded fishing nets aims to give them a second life in sports courts (ECOBALLUTION project).
  • 7.3t of non-reusable nets were collected in 2023.
  • Nearly 17t of nets from bottom-set gillnet gear have been recycled in recent years.
Reuse
  • Once in port, fishermen manually or with the assistance of trucks and trailers deposit their used fishing nets and gear directly into the container designated for this purpose.
  • Nets in good condition or those that can be reused are managed by the company Chicolino, while damaged nets are handled by Terrarecicla or sent directly to the landfill.
  • No net dismantling practices are conducted at the port.
  • Members of the Sustainability Department are responsible for communication within the port regarding waste management.
  • An initiative for the recovery of discarded fishing nets aims to give them a second life in sports courts (ECOBALLUTION project).
  • 7.3t of non-reusable nets were collected in 2023.
  • Nearly 17t of nets from bottom-set gillnet gear have been recycled in recent years.
Passive fishing for litter

Current pratices
  • The port is involved in “Fishing for litter (FfL)” projects in collaboration with fishing fleets and projects staff.
  • Fishermen from trawling fleet, collect and store PFW onboard in 1m³ big bags and are responsible for the manual unloading, with a record maintained of which vessels carry out the unloading and the dates.
  • The waste is deposited in four 800L containers located at the port for this specific purpose.
  • Quantification (in weight units) and characterisation of the waste are conducted at the waste treatment plant by the waste manager (Couceiro).
  • Amount of PFW 0.7t in 2022, 1.79t in 2021 and 3.3t in 2020.
Constraints and bests practices

Constraints
  • Awareness campaigns are not conducted due to schedule discrepancies, and no informational panels are in place to promote communication.
  • The management of the boats’ own waste is insufficient.
  • The cost per ton at the landfill is a significant consideration.
  • Fishermen are not well informed about the management of these wastes, and it is uncertain whether they would be willing to manage it at the time of collection.
Bests practices et objectives
  • Communication is conducted directly or via email with the staff.

Objectives:

  • To implement MARPOL compliance for vessels managing unintended catch, ensuring accuracy in the data.
  • To avoid increasing fees for vessels regarding the collection of waste not generated by them.
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