The campaign 'Andalusia, Seas that Know', which is being carried out by the Regional Ministry for Agriculture, Fisheries, Water and Rural Development, arrived in Mijas on Tuesday. "It is a very necessary campaign. Fishing also contributes as an economic sector to our economy, to generate wealth and employment, but fundamentally also, and in a tourist area like ours, to improve the gastronomic offer. Therefore, the importance of consuming fresh fish, not only for its flavour, but also for the nutritional guarantee and, in addition, to respect the size of these fish, so important for sustainable fishing and, ultimately, a sustainable supply", said the councillor for Agriculture, Livestock, Hunting and Fishing of the Mijas Town Hall, Juan Carlos Maldonado (PMP), during his visit to the marquee set up on the Torreón de La Cala square.

This promotional campaign for fishery and aquaculture products includes more than 200 initiatives all along the Andalusian coastline during the summer months. It also provides information on the characteristics and quality of fishery and aquaculture products from the Andalusian coast. Some today, for example, have discovered why something as characteristic of our land as the 'boquerón' (anchovy) is so named, "because the anchovy has a mouth that is very big It's size. (In Spanish 'boca' is mouth). It's as if it were a whale, it doesn't just open its mouth upwards, but also to the sides and it swims with its mouth open and eats all the plankton it catches", explained the environmental monitor Antony Luque, who, together with his colleagues, explained these and other curiosities. What else did they learn? "Well, to differentiate between a fresh fish and one that has been in the fishmonger's for longer and is not so fresh and what some fish are like", commented one of the visitors, the young Marta Cano. 

Fish consumption

The 'Andalusia, Seas that Taste' campaign also seeks to encourage the consumption of fish, not only in the short term, but also for the future, so that fish is appreciated and incorporated into recipes. Seafood is one of the stars of Andalusian gastronomy. "Yes, I eat fish in my diet, but I cook less, often because of the smell, sometimes because of laziness", commented another of the visitors, Rafael Cano, who added that he usually cooks and eats "grilled fish, such as hake or salt-grilled sea bream, that is approximately what we eat most fish at home". 

Another of the objectives of the Junta de Andalucía's campaign is to raise awareness of the importance of respecting the minimum permitted sizes for fishing and consumption. "It is essential that baby fish can reach sexual maturity, become adults and be able to reproduce, because this allows the populations of the different species of fish to regenerate, because otherwise every year we are going to be left with fewer and that is a big problem", explained the environmental monitor, Antony Luque. 

Fishing sector 

Another aspect of this campaign, which is covering the entire Andalusian coastline during the summer, is to encourage support for the fishing sector. How can we do this? Quite simply, by eating some of the many traditional Andalusian recipes based on fish and seafood. 

According to data provided by the Regional Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries, Water and Rural Development, the Andalusian fishing fleet exceeds 1,400 vessels which, in 2022, marketed close to 53,000 tonnes. In terms of value, these seafood products exceeded 184 million euros last year.

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