Territory opens grants of 110,000 euros for damages caused by the Risso's dolphin

The Department of Territory, Housing and Ecological Transition has opened the call for grants for the small-scale fishing sector in southern Catalonia to repair damages caused during 2024 by interactions with the short-beaked common dolphin, with a maximum allocation of 110,000 euros. The call is published in the Official Gazette of the Generalitat de Catalunya (DOGC) no. 9775, of October 19, 2026, through Resolution TER/3706/2026, of October 2, signed by the counselor Sílvia Paneque i Sureda. Interested shipowners have a one-month deadline to submit their applications.

The grants are governed by the regulatory bases of Order ACC/193/2024, of August 8 (DOGC no. 9230, of August 20, 2024), modified by Order TER/168/2025, of October 1, and by Order TER/38/2026, of February 26. The call carries the BDNS code 934765 and is part of the Strategic Grant Plan of the Department of Territory 2025-2028, with the code PES25-28_TER0133.

The objective is to compensate for the losses of professional small-scale fishing shipowners working in areas where the presence of the short-beaked common dolphin in the inland waters of southern Catalonia has increased in recent years, and who for this reason have had to change their fishing operations or have recorded fewer catches. The short-beaked common dolphin is protected in Catalonia and declared a threatened species in the vulnerable category.

One-month deadline and electronic application

The submission deadline is one month starting from the day after the publication of the resolution in the DOGC. Applications must be submitted electronically according to the models appearing on the Electronic Office; individuals who are not obligated to do so may do it in person at citizen service offices.

In addition to the documentation already required by the bases, the vessel’s roll must be added. The accreditation of the number of days with dolphin sightings and the number of days the boat went out to fish for any of the four target species—hake, conger eel, sole, or cuttlefish—is obtained ex officio from the General Sub-directorate of Maritime Fisheries and the General Sub-directorate of Biodiversity and Natural Environment, respectively.

110,000 euros charged to the Natural Heritage Fund

The maximum amount provided for this call is 110,000.00 euros, allocated from the Natural Heritage Fund for the year 2026:

• 33,500.00 euros to item PO21 D/480000100/5510/0000 AVEHIC-FNP.
• 76,500.00 euros to item PO21 D/470000100/5510/0000 AVEHIC-FNP.

The credits initially available may be redistributed among the respective items according to the applications submitted, provided that the total allocation is not exceeded. The amount per beneficiary is determined according to section 4 of Order ACC/193/2024 and, if applicable, is prorated in a strictly proportional manner among the beneficiaries. The aid may cover up to 100% of the eligible expenses, with the maximum threshold set by Article 4 of Regulation (EU) 2022/2473.

Non-competitive concurrence and resolution within six months

The grant is exceptionally awarded under a non-competitive concurrence regime, meaning without comparing applications, and the aids are granted according to available funds. The instructing body is the Sub-directorate General of Biodiversity and Natural Environment of the Directorate General of Environmental Policies and Natural Environment, which is also the body that issues the granting resolution.

The provisional grant proposals, resolutions, and resolving agreements are published on the electronic notice board of the Generalitat Administration, and this publication replaces individual notification. Resolutions must be issued and published within a maximum period of six months starting from the day after the publication of the call; if there is no express resolution, the application is understood to be rejected by administrative silence.

The aids are in the nature of state aid and are subject to Commission Regulation (EU) 2022/2473 of December 14, 2022, which allows for the granting of aid to repair damage caused by protected animals. Against the resolution, which exhausts the administrative route, an optional appeal for reversal may be filed within one month, or a contentious-administrative appeal may be filed before the High Court of Justice of Catalonia within two months.

The call provides financial coverage for a recurring conflict on the southern coast of the country: the forced coexistence between a protected species and a small-gear fleet that sees reduced catches and must modify its operations. With 110,000 euros and a procedure without comparison of applications, the distribution will depend on the number of requests submitted within the deadline month.

Source: DOGC, no. 9775, October 19, 2026, Other provisions, p. 1 (official reference: CVE-DOGC-A-26288043-2026).