Spain's struggling fishing industry relies on immigrant work

It's difficult for Senegalese fisherman Babou Diouf to hear about migrants arriving in the Canary Islands on rafts. It reminds him of the perilous and arduous journey he undertook 17 years ago, when he crossed the Mediterranean to eventually reach Burela, a fishing port, on the northern coast of Spain.

Diouf was able to secure a new life in Spain thanks to his fishing skills. Spain has the biggest fishing fleet in the European Union. But fewer and fewer Spanish nationals want to work in the industry, which is becoming increasingly dependent on foreign workers.

Foreign workers make up about seven out of 10 crew members in Burela's fishing fleet, said Juan Carlos Otero from Burela's boat owners' association. The fishing village of Burela has some 9,450 inhabitants from 44 countries; 90 men are from Senegal and 244 are from Cape Verde.

But despite the foreign workers, Spain's fishing industry is struggling to survive. Experts warn it could collapse within three years in Burela, where half of the fleet is involved in longline fishing, which has been hit by the EU's ban on fishing with bottom trawls.

Diouf works alongside other Senegalese people, Spaniards and Indonesians on the Sarridal. In 14-hour shifts, they haul in nets, and clean and box their catch, hake. "It's been like that all my life," said Diouf. "I sleep when I can, not when I want."

It's crowded in the cabin of the vessel. The captain, Francisco Gonzalez Garcia, said Spain's fishing industry would not survive without foreign workers. "There are very few young Spaniards so the future is in training immigrants," he explained.

It's time for a coffee break for these Indonesian longline fishermen. Their skills are so highly coveted that boat owners will often pay for their flights to Spain. Others have to find work through word of mouth or, if they have residence permits, by turning up at the dock to see if they can nab a contract.

Diouf is satisfied with his income, which allows him to pay his rent, feed his family and send money to his older children in Senegal. But he is also preparing for a post-fishing career, training himself to handle a chainsaw and a grass trimmers, as well as to drive a truck.