“Itsasoratu”

Itsasoratu is a fishing sector rejuvenation project that gives young people the chance to train on OPEGUI fishing boats and experience work at sea.

Rejuvenating the fishing industry

More than 80% of the world's fishermen are over 60 years of age. The profession is getting older and large numbers are leaving the it every year.

Nowadays, not many young people consider fishing when choosing a career. The scarce profitability of the sector and the lack of interest shown by the younger generation suggests it has an uncertain future. The reasons young people are failing to join the industry go beyond the general fishing crisis. Too many safety and training demands are made on those who want to learn the trade. Young people have to be trained before being allowed to set foot on a boat or go out to sea. And it isn't free.

The art of fishing can no longer be passed on from generation to generation as was the custom traditionally. Children can no longer go to sea to learn the trade with their parents because only those on the list or merchant ship crew members are allowed on board. Fishing is a trade learnt more through practice than academic study. A qualification based on theory doesn't really explain what the profession is all about: the fishing grounds, the seabed and the species that live there. Generally, students study and pass their fishing exams but as most of them end up finding work on land, they never actually consider going to sea.

To address this situation, the Basque Government has launched a grants programme to provide financial assistance and motivate young people to go on work practice in the fishing sector, contributing thus to the rejuvenation of the profession and its survival into the future.

The ITSASORATU programme

ITSASORATU, the Basque Government grants programme, offers internships to young people interested in working in the fishing sector. Initiated by the Pasaia Maritime Fishing School in collaboration with the Basque Government, the project facilitates 18 young people participating in work practice aboard fishing boats from Pasaia, Bermeo and Ondarroa with a view to supporting youth employment and rejuvenating the fishing sector.

The young participants gain first-hand experience of working at sea. At the same time, 15 Basque boat owners benefit from the experience of hosting the trainees and carrying out different fishing-related work practice exercises within the programme.

The programme puts into practice the aims of the Strategic Plan for Fisheries and Aquaculture 2015-2020, which prioritizes the revitalization and professionalization of the sector. The Economic Development and Infrastructure Department is working on a long-term recruitment policy to attract workers into the fishing sector. In this context, given the socio-economic state of the sector, it is important to promote practical training for people interested in working at sea and fulfilling the demands of the domestic and European job market and the fisheries’ sector.

These grants are awarded annually. Since the programme launched in 2016, 83 young people and 70 shipowners have taken part, receiving around €500,000 in total. The grants, which are intended to pay for the students’ work practice, are wholly financed from the general budget of the Autonomous Community of the Basque Country. The 83 young people were able to join the nautical-fishing sector thanks to the grants programme which covered the cost of their accommodation, travel, upkeep, materials and work practice.

The expenses covered by the grant include:

  1. The sum the fishing company must pay each student: a fixed amount of € 800 per student and period at sea.
  2. The social security payments for each student. The fishing company must guarantee that each student is covered for Common Contingencies and Accidents at Work for the duration of their stay: € 51.05 euros per month.
  3. Expenses arising from the guardianship and supervision of each student on board the fishing vessel where they are training, as well as their upkeep and the evaluation and supervision of the tasks they may be required to carry out on board during that period. The amount is a lump sum of € 2,600, regardless of whether one or two training periods are involved.
  4. Equipment and work clothes.The assignation for financing these expenses is a lump sum of 100 euros per student on work practice.

Students who wish to avail of the grants must fulfil the following requirements: they must be in the first year of a mid- or upper- level qualification course and have passed all the subjects taught at the Nautical-Fishing Training Schools in Pasaia-Blas de Lezo, Bermeo, and Ondarroa.

The trainee work practice takes place on fishing vessels with home ports in the Basque Country and the time they spend at sea is approximately 20-30 days. The fishing companies that avail of the grant can only take on one student per training period, which takes place in the second half of 2019. The fishing companies are required to monitor and tutor the trainees, and carry out a final assessment of the training experience.

ITSASORATU has worked hard to align the organization’s aims with the current reality of the fishing industry by: facilitating the hands-on experience students need to complete their professional training, promoting youth employment in the fishing sector, encouraging the rejuvenation of the workforce and, finally, helping to ensure the traditional business is taken over successfully by the next generation.