Asturias sets the daily goose barnacle quota at 6 kilos for 2026/2027

The Regional Ministry of Rural Environment and Agricultural Policy of the Principality of Asturias has regulated the 2026/2027 goose barnacle extraction campaign and has approved the management plans that will govern the activity across the Asturian coastline. The regulation is published via the Order of September 16, 2026, disseminated in the Official Gazette of the Principality of Asturias (BOPA) no. 187, of September 28, 2026, with the official reference Code 2026-07794, and enters into force on the day of its publication, remaining valid until September 30, 2027.

The order is issued under the exclusive competence of the Principality in maritime fishing in inland waters and shellfish gathering, recognized in article 10.1.13 of the Statute of Autonomy, and develops the Law of the Principality of Asturias 2/1993, of October 29, on maritime fishing in inland waters and the exploitation of marine resources, as well as Decree 35/1998, of June 18, on shore-based shellfish gathering. The management plans were prepared by the Directorate General for Maritime Fisheries in collaboration with the Fishermen’s Guilds of the Principality of Asturias. The signature corresponds to the regional minister Marcelino Marcos Líndez.

Quotas, calendar, and schedules

The maximum catch quota is set at 6 kg per fishing day and in a single tide as a general rule. It is increased to 8 kg in two cases:

• The period between December 11, 2026, and January 4, 2027.
• Throughout the entire campaign in the Cabo Peñas management plan.

The quota is personal and non-transferable: it cannot be assigned between shellfish gatherers, and the digging and transport to the weighing point must be carried out individually by the authorized gatherer. Shell fragments and mussels may not exceed 10% of the maximum permitted quota.

The general eligible period runs from October 1, 2026, to April 30, 2027; in Cabo Peñas, it extends from October 1, 2026, to September 30, 2027. Extraction is only permitted during daylight hours, between two hours before and one hour after low tide, and is prohibited from 00:00 on Saturday until 24:00 on Sunday, as well as on regional and national holidays. The only authorized tool is the bistoncia or hand-digging tool, with the activity performed on foot on the rock and an express prohibition against digging with a mirror from a vessel. The minimum size is set at 18 mm of rostrum-carina length, which in the “clusters” must be reached by specimens representing at least 60% of the weight.

Ten management plans and 265 slots

The entire Asturian coastline is declared a restricted fishing zone for the harvesting of goose barnacles, with ten management plans. Several guilds are grouped into single areas: Figueras and Tapia, Oviñana and Cudillero, San Juan de La Arena and Avilés, Bañugues and Luanco, Candás, Gijón, Tazones and Lastres, and Ribadesella, Llanes and Bustio. The latter two are managed by management committees of six and five members, respectively.

The maximum number of shellfish gatherers admitted per plan is as follows:

• Tapia/Figueras: 24.
• Viavélez: 9.
• Ortiguera: 13.
• Puerto de Vega: 17.
• Luarca: 37.
• Cudillero/Oviñana: 55.
• San Juan de La Arena/Avilés: 15.
• Cabo Peñas (Bañugues and Luanco): 39.
• Central Coast: 27.
• Eastern Coast: 29.

The distribution reserves 75% of the slots for local shellfish gatherers and 25% for non-locals, with the exception of the Central Coast and Eastern Coast plans, which maintain the configuration of their creation via the Resolution of February 14, 2023.

Renewals, deadlines and safety

To renew the license for the 2027/2028 season, 20 days of attendance are required in the 2026/2027 season if it is completed in full, a figure that is reduced proportionally for those crewed on a vessel, with a minimum of 10 days. Furthermore, given the adverse weather conditions of the 2025/2026 season, a minimum of 10 days will be required in general for renewal in the 2026/2027 season.

The deadline for submitting renewal applications ends on October 13, 2026, inclusive. Those on the waiting lists must state in writing their desire to remain on them within one month of the publication of the order. The regulation also establishes the priority access criteria, with 5 points for being crewed on a 3rd list vessel with a home port in Asturias, 2 points for young owners under 40 years of age, and 2 points for the access of women to professional shellfish gathering.

Regarding compatibility, goose barnacle gathering may be carried out simultaneously with minor hook gear, glass eel fishing, and shore-based shellfish gathering—except for scallops and razor clams—and incorporates the beta in this season; Cabo Peñas adds the shellfish pot. As a protective measure, life jackets and helmets are recommended, and non-slip footwear and wetsuits are mandatory. The order exhausts the administrative route, therefore a contentious-administrative appeal may be filed before the Contentious-Administrative Chamber of the High Court of Justice of Asturias within two months.

The regulation reaches the guilds just a few days before the start of the campaign on October 1, and conditions the economic planning of the entire shellfish sector along the coast: it establishes how much each shellfisher can catch and sell, when they can go out to the rocks, and how many slots there will be in each plan, in addition to opening the license renewal period in barely two weeks.

Source: Official Gazette of the Principality of Asturias, no. 187 of September 28, 2026, I. Principality of Asturias — Other Provisions, page 1 (official reference: Code 2026-07794).