Young anchovies abound in the Gulf of Bizkaia and double the historical average
The abundance estimated this year by the Juvena campaign, which has covered an area of 38,160 square miles of sea, confirms the excellent survival of young specimens born in spring, and shows that there have been very favourable oceanographic and productive conditions for the development of larval and juvenile stages.
Young anchovy is abundant in the Gulf of Bizkaia and doubles the historical average. These results predict good recruitment in the 2026 coastal season and confirm the good health of the species.
This is confirmed by the scientific campaign Juvena 2025 , which completes the evaluation of the young anchovy population in the Gulf of Bizkaia , promoted by the Fisheries Department ofthe Basque Government and coordinated by the AZTI technology centre.
It is estimated that the level of abundance is high and that the biomassof young anchovies is 544,781 tonnes, a figure that doubles the historical average of the last 20 years and represents a significant increase from 255,344 tonnes recorded in 2024.
The abundance estimated this year by the JUVENA campaign, which has covered an area of 38,160 square miles of sea, confirms the excellent survival of young specimens born in spring, and shows that there have been very favourable oceanographic and productive conditions for the development of larval and juvenile stages.
"European anchovy is a species with a short life cycle and a high annual variability, highly dependent on the oceanographic conditions of the Gulf of Bizkaia. It has a life cycle of between two and three years and its reproduction depends on factors such as water temperature, food availability and ocean currents. That is why its biomass can vary so much from year to year," explains AZTI Director-General Rogelio Pozo.
The average length of young anchovies studied has been 6.3 centimetres, below the average of the series, which is common in the years of high survival of the laying period.
This index will serve as a basis for the recommendations for catches and the calculation of the Total Acceptable Catch (TAC) by 2026.
The quota allocated to Basque fishermen on this year's coast was 8.05 million kilograms, but they were not exhausted, as the Basque fleet fished 7.2 million kilograms (90% of the quota); the average price of the canvas was 2.05 euros/kg, higher than that of 2024 (1.5 €/ kg).
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