Cantabria opens the public consultation for the annual order of closures and shellfish harvesting for 2027

The General Directorate of Fisheries and Food of Cantabria has opened the public consultation process prior to the drafting of the Order project that will regulate closed seasons, minimum sizes, and the collection of shellfish and other species of commercial interest during the year 2027. The resolution is published in the Official Gazette of Cantabria (BOC) no. 192, dated October 6, 2026, with reference CVE-2026-7718, and opens a period of 20 calendar days to submit opinions. The text is signed by the Director General of Fisheries and Food, Paulino San Emeterio Pila, in Santander on September 29, 2026.

The regulatory framework of the annual order

The future regulation is based on Decree 178/2003, of October 9, which establishes the shellfish regulation in the Autonomous Community of Cantabria. Its Chapter V, dedicated to exploitation and regulation measures, stipulates in Article 20 that the Department competent in shellfish matters shall regulate, by means of an annual Order, the exercise of the activity, the authorized species, the permitted weights, the minimum sizes, the protected or closed zones, and other circumstances deemed appropriate.

The process is further supported by Article 51.2 of Law 5/2018, of November 22, on the Legal Regime of the Government, the Administration, and the Institutional Public Sector of Cantabria, which requires public consultation prior to the drafting of the project. The resolution is published both in the BOC and on the Transparency Portal of Cantabria.

The approval of the new Order would repeal the previous regulations and update its provisions, in order to regulate the sustainable exploitation of shellfish resources for commercial purposes.

What is being asked of citizens and the sector

The stated objective is to gather the opinions of citizens, organizations, and the most representative associations potentially affected by the future regulation. There are four points on which a statement is requested:

• The problems that the regulation intends to solve.
• The necessity and opportunity of its approval.
• The objectives of the regulation.
• Possible alternative regulatory and non-regulatory solutions.

The resolution itself rules out non-regulatory alternatives: since Decree 178/2003 establishes that the exercise of shellfish gathering shall be regulated by an annual Order, other avenues are not considered viable.

How and where to submit allegations

Opinions must be submitted in writing and addressed to the General Directorate of Fisheries and Food. They may be presented:

• At the Registry of the Regional Ministry of Rural Development, Livestock, Fisheries and Food, at Albert Einstein Street, 2, PCTCAN, C.P. 39011 Santander.
• At any other registry or place provided for in article 134.8 of Law 5/2018, of November 22.
• Through the Transparency Portal of Cantabria, in the box enabled for this purpose and following its instructions, accessible at http://participacion.cantabria.es/.

The deadline for submitting opinions is 20 calendar days starting from the publication of the resolution in the BOC, that is, from October 6, 2026.

Scope for the fishing and shellfish sector

The regulation resulting from this process directly affects the professional shellfish activity in Cantabria, as it will establish the closed seasons, minimum marketable sizes, and the conditions for the collection of shellfish and other species of commercial interest for the entirety of 2027. The resolution emphasizes that the purpose is to achieve optimal yield in the exploitation of fishing resources and to regulate activity in natural mollusk beds, as well as shellfish extraction in general. For guilds, cooperatives, and shore-based shellfish gatherers, the closed season calendar and size limits are the operational reference for the year; therefore, the consultation period is the formal channel to influence its content before the text is drafted.

Source: Official Gazette of Cantabria, no. 192, of October 6, 2026, Regional Ministry of Rural Development, Livestock, Fisheries and Food, pp. 50292-50293 (official reference: CVE-2026-7718).