The government of Spain has announced EUR 2.7 million (USD 3.1 million) in financial support to fishing vessel owners impacted by a series of winter storms.
Both Spain and Portugal were hit by several severe storms in January and February, leading to mass evacuations and damage to infrastructure, including to the fisheries sector. In February, the Spanish government announced roughly EUR 7 billion (USD 8.1 billion) in financial aid to people impacted by the storms.
"The help will compensate more than 12,400 people evacuated because of these events and mitigate the impact of heavy rains and flooding on houses, businesses, and the agricultural and fishing sectors," Budget Minister Maria Jesus Montero said, according to Reuters.
Now, Spain’s Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries, and Food has published a list of 496 fishing vessel owners from the provinces of Cadiz, Huelva, and Malaga who will split EUR 2.7 million in aid. The funding is intended to compensate the owners for the days they were unable to fish due to the storms.
Nearly half of the funds – EUR 1.2 million (USD 1.4 million) – will be split between 208 shipowners in Huelva. Cadiz will receive EUR 1 million (USD 1.2 million) for 169 vessel owners, while Malaga will receive EUR 541,147 (USD 624,392) for 119 vessel owners.
The announcement comes shortly after the Spanish government announced EUR 25 million (USD 29 million) in aid to support commercial fishers struggling with high fuel prices caused by the Iran war.
