Cepesca - Confederación Española de Pesca

What Cepesca - Confederación Española de Pesca does

Cepesca (Confederación Española de Pesca) is the national business confederation representing Spanish fishing vessel owners (armadores), founded in Madrid in June 2007. It aggregates 32+ member associations covering both inshore (bajura) and deep-sea (altura) fishing modalities, collectively representing more than 700 fishing companies, 725 vessels, approximately 10,000 crew members, and 150,162.07 GTs of gross tonnage. Cepesca claims to represent 50% of national catches, 95% of the high-seas fleet, and 64% of total Spanish fishing tonnage, positioning itself as the most representative national fishing business organization in Europe.

The organization operates as a non-technology trade association funded through recurring membership dues from its member associations. Its core service is institutional representation: lobbying Spanish and EU authorities, participating in fisheries policy formulation (Common Fisheries Policy review, Mediterranean management plan, bottom-trawling zone closures, EU Control Regulation), and managing relationships with international bodies and Regional Fisheries Management Organizations (RFMOs). Leadership includes President Julio Morón and Secretary General Javier Garat, who also serves as President of Europêche and as a CESE counselor (2025-2030 mandate). Beyond advocacy, Cepesca runs an annual journalism awards program (seven editions through 2025), consumer content platforms (Hablemos de Pesca, Chefpesca), strategic planning initiatives (Plan de Recuperación del Sector Pesquero 2021-2023), and co-developed circular economy programs Redes de España and REDISMAR with CTAG and FNCP, co-funded through the Fundación Biodiversidad's Pleamar program (FEMPA). The organization maintains a financial services partnership with ABANCA (since 2019, renewed 2023) that has facilitated roughly 400 member financing operations via the ABANCA MAR unit.

Name

Cepesca - Confederación Española de Pesca

Legal name

CONFEDERACIÓN ESPAÑOLA DE PESCA (CEPESCA)

Website

https://cepesca.es

Company type

Private

Founded year

2007

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Cepesca is the national Spanish business confederation of fishing vessel owners, founded in 2007 and headquartered in Madrid. It aggregates 32+ member associations representing 700+ companies, 725 vessels, and roughly 50% of Spain's national catches, lobbying Spanish and EU institutions on fisheries policy and sustainability.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Industry trade association services

NAICS

Fishing (11411)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600)

akta.pro primary industry

Fishing Vessels (Trawlers, Longliners, Purse Seiners) (IMAJADAE)

Keywords

• Fishing industry representation
• Fisheries business confederation
• Trade association advocacy
• Fishing fleet owners
• Fisheries policy lobbying

Headquarters

HQ city

Madrid

HQ country

Spain

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Membership dues: Cepesca generates revenue through membership fees from its 32+ member associations representing fishing companies and vessel owners across Spain.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

CEPESCA is a national business confederation that represents the collective interests of Spanish fishing vessel owners (armadores) before government bodies, EU institutions, and international organizations. It aggregates more than 30 Spanish fishing associations covering both coastal (bajura) and deep-sea (altura) fishing, representing over 700 companies, 725 vessels, around 10,000 crew members, and 150,162.07 GTs of tonnage, equivalent to roughly 50% of national catches. Its work centers on advocacy for the competitiveness of fishing enterprises, the fight against illegal fishing, and the sustainability of the Spanish fleet.

Product overview

CEPESCA is a national business confederation for the Spanish fishing industry, not a traditional software product company. It provides advocacy, representation, and coordination services for Spanish fishing vessel owners. The organization operates member support programs including environmental initiatives like 'Redes de España' (fishing net recycling) and 'REDISMAR', content platforms such as 'Hablemos de Pesca' and 'Chefpesca', an annual journalism award program, and strategic planning services for the sector.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Representación Empresarial del Sector Pesquero Español Membership-based institutional representation of Spanish fishing fleet owners before the Spanish government, the European Commission, the European Parliament, the European Economic and Social Committee, and Regional Fisheries Management Organizations. Aimed at improving the competitiveness of fishing enterprises, combating illegal fishing, and achieving sustainability of the sector; represents 32+ associations, 700+ companies, 725 vessels, around 10,000 crew, and 150,162.07 GTs.
• Premios de Periodismo y Sector Pesquero Español Annual award program run by CEPESCA to recognize the informative work of media outlets and journalists covering the Spanish fishing sector and its sustainability. Open to Spanish media organizations and journalists; the seventh edition was held in 2025.

Named customers6 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• CTAG - Centro Tecnológico de Automoción de GaliciacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerColaboración en proyectos de economía circular como 'Redes de España' y 'REDISMAR' para la gestión y reciclaje de redes y aparejos de pesca. CTAG aporta experiencia tecnológica en materiales y procesado.
• FNCP - Federación Nacional de Cofradías de PescadorescoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerColaboración en proyectos conjuntos como 'Redes de España' para la trazabilidad y reciclaje de redes de pesca descartadas.
• Fundación Biodiversidad - Ministerio para la Transición EcológicacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerColaboración a través del Programa Pleamar para proyectos de economía circular y sostenibilidad en el sector pesquero. Cofinanciación mediante FEMPA.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Europêche: European-level federation of national fishing industry organizations. Cepesca's Secretary General Javier Garat serves as President of Europêche, and the two organizations coordinate directly on EU fisheries policy advocacy, making Europêche the closest peer at the supranational level.
• ANABAC - Asociación Nacional de Armadores de Buques de Pesca de Atún: Spanish national association of tuna vessel owners and a Cepesca member association. Comparable vertical-specific counterpart that aggregates a tuna-fleet segment under the broader Cepesca umbrella.
• FAAPE - Federación Andaluza de Asociaciones Pesqueras: Andalusian regional federation of fishing associations whose president (José María Gallart) serves as Cepesca Vice President. Operates as a regional-level peer feeding into the same national structure Cepesca leads.
• OPP Burela: Organization of Producers (OPP) for the Burela fleet, also a Cepesca member. Comparable as a fisheries-producer organization with regulatory representation duties, though more narrowly focused on producer-market issues for a specific fleet segment.
• FNCP - Federación Nacional de Cofradías de Pescadores: National federation of Spanish fishermen's guilds (cofradías). Represents artisanal and coastal fishermen in Spain, working alongside Cepesca on joint projects like Redes de España; comparable as a Spanish fisheries representational body with a different membership base.
• ARVI - Asociación de Armadores de Buques de Pesca de Vigo: Vigo-based association of fishing vessel owners and a Cepesca member. Comparable as a port/regionally anchored fleet-owner association, focused on the major Galician fishing port, and a peer at the association level.

Regional players

• Scottish Fishermen's Federation: UK trade association representing Scottish fishing vessel owners. Similar membership-based representational model focused on fleet-owner interests in fisheries policy, though now operating in a post-Brexit UK regulatory context.
• Norges Fiskarlag (Norwegian Fishermen's Association): National trade association representing Norwegian fishing vessel owners. Comparable to Cepesca in structure and function (membership-based representation of fleet owners) but operates in a different geography with distinct quota and management regime.
• Danmarks Fiskeriforening (Danish Fishermen's Association): National trade body for Danish commercial fishermen, with comparable advocacy and fleet-owner representation role. Both organizations are members of Europêche and engage on similar EU policy files but serve different national fleets.

Emerging players

• AIPCE-CEP (EU Fish Processors and Traders Association): European-level trade body for fish processors and traders. Adjacent in the Spanish/EU fisheries value chain and engages on overlapping EU regulatory files, but represents downstream processors rather than upstream vessel owners.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks4 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/CEPESCA
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/spanish-fishing-confederation---cepesca

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Cepesca - Confederación Española de Pesca