The Ministry of the Sea allocates four million to collective shellfish projects

The Regional Ministry of the Sea opens the 2026 call for grants for collective projects for equipment destined for the restoration of marine biodiversity and ecosystems, endowed with four million euros and co-financed by the European Maritime, Fisheries and Aquaculture Fund (EMFAF). The Order of September 15, 2026, signed by the regional minister Marta Villaverde Acuña, was published in the Official Gazette of Galicia (DOG) number 183, of September 25, 2026, with procedure code PE209R and reference CVE-DOG: q8rnhef6-irh9-kzr3-x1l5-gbsvipsodls3. Interested entities have one month from the day following publication to submit applications electronically.

The regulation establishes the general regulatory bases and the call under a competitive bidding process, and is based on Law 11/2008, of December 3, on Galician fisheries, Regulation (EU) 2021/1139, and the EMFAF program for Spain, approved by the Commission Decision of November 29, 2022 (CCI 2021ES14MFPR001). The action falls under priority 1 of the fund, specific objective 1.6, activity type 1.6.1 “Marine environment protection measures”.

The text justifies the call due to the episode of torrential rains recorded in the first quarter of 2026, which affected many shellfish beds due to the decrease in salinity and caused the mortality of bivalve mollusks. This line has an immediate precedent in the Order of December 30, 2025 (DOG number 15, of January 23), aimed at collective projects for waste collection and seaweed wash-ups, whose granted grants were published via the Resolution of August 4, 2026.

Four million and up to 100% of the investment

• Total credit: 4,000,000 euros for the 2026 annual period, charged to budget application 16.03.723A.770.0 and project code 2026 107.
• Co-financing: 70% with EMFAF funds and 30% with funds from the Autonomous Community of Galicia.
• Maximum aid intensity: 100% of the eligible investment, subject to budget availability.
• Maximum amount per project: 200,000 euros (excluding VAT).
• Advance payment: up to 90% of the granted subsidy, without the need for guarantees, requested within 15 business days from the notification of the resolution.

Who can apply and what is financed

The following may be beneficiaries, provided they have their registered office in Galicia:

• Fishermen’s guilds.
• Fishery producers’ organizations.
• Legally recognized associative entities composed of professionals from the fisheries sector.
• Non-profit entities composed exclusively of guilds.

Entities may apply individually or jointly as a group (joint project), appointing a single representative. The following will be eligible for subsidies:

• Tractor vehicles for regeneration tasks.
• Towing elements for removal and plowing in mollusk production areas.
• Power tillers or mechanical plowing elements.

Rentals, the acquisition of land and real estate, office equipment, clothing, fishing and shellfishing gear and materials, operating expenses, and indirect costs are excluded.

Deadlines, processing, and evaluation criteria

• Applications: one month from the day following the publication in the DOG, mandatory electronic submission via the Xunta de Galicia headquarters; each entity may only submit one application.
• Resolution: maximum period of two months from publication, with negative administrative silence.
• Project execution: until November 30, 2026; justification of expenses: until December 15, 2026.
• Processing: Project Management Service of the General Directorate of Fisheries Development; the resolution corresponds to the head of the Department of the Sea (Consellería do Mar).
• Evaluation: commission chaired by the General Sub-directorate of Research and Scientific-Technical Support, with members from the general directorate and territorial departments.
• Criteria weights: general 30%, horizontal environmental and social 20%, technical viability 20%, and specific to the type of activity 30%; projects that do not exceed 4 points in the general criteria are excluded.

The call comes at a time of recovery for the beds after a spring of intense rains and with a previous line of aid already executed, meaning that guilds and producer organizations have a direct way to finance regeneration machinery at no cost to their coffers. The one-month deadline and the limit of 200,000 euros per project require the technical report and the three required budgets to be prepared in advance.

Source: Official Gazette of Galicia (DOG), no. 183, September 25, 2026, section III. Other provisions, p. 50276 (official reference: CVE-DOG: q8rnhef6-irh9-kzr3-x1l5-gbsvipsodls3).