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The Allure of Tuna: Employment Demand in the Tuna Fleet Grows by 26.6% in 2025

SPAIN
Monday, November 10, 2025, 00:10 (GMT + 9)

empleAtún, OPAGAC's platform, registers 809 applications and prepares for the Merkalan 2025 fair in Vitoria, highlighting Galicia, Basque Country, and Andalusia as the main regions for candidates.

Madrid – Employment demand in the Spanish tuna fleet has experienced a notable increase during 2025, confirming the sector's appeal as a generator of stable and qualified employment. The empleAtún¹ platform (promoted by the Organization of Associated Producers of Large Tuna Freezers - OPAGAC - since 2023) has registered a total of 809 applications, representing a growth of 26.6% compared to the previous year.

Requested Profiles and Candidate Origins

77.3% of the applications come from Spain, with the regions of Galicia, Basque Country, and Andalusia contributing the majority of interested professionals. The remaining applications have an international origin, with countries such as France, Argentina, Chile, Indonesia, Mexico, Nicaragua, Peru, and Venezuela standing out.

Since its launch in October 2023, OPAGAC's associated ship-owning companies have published 41 job offers to fill positions in a fleet that employs 2,400 professionals. The most in-demand occupations this year continue to cover virtually all professional profiles on board, such as captain, bridge officers, chief engineers, electricians, seamen, greasers, and cooks.

Presence at the Merkalan 2025 Employment Fair

As part of its strategy for generational replacement and talent acquisition, the empleAtún initiative will participate in Merkalan 2025, the employment and training fair organized by the Basque Employment Service.

• Dates and Location: The fair will be held from November 11th to 13th in Vitoria.

• Stand and Workshop: empleAtún will have a virtual stand for all three days and will have a physical presence at the Europa Congress Palace in Vitoria on November 12th.

• "The Sea as an Office": On that day, Grupo Albacora (a ship-owning company associated with OPAGAC) will offer the workshop “The sea as an office: work on a tuna boat”. The session will include a live connection from the Indian Ocean with Daniel Ferreiro (‘Capitán Tarteras’), head chef on one of the company's tuna boats, who will share his experience.

¹ Digital labor intermediation platform of the Organization of Associated Producers of Large Tuna Freezers (OPAGAC), funded by the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food.

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