A job program in Ferrol is training new fishmongers to address the lack of generational change in the sector, and among its participants are Cubans with experience in maritime work who see the trade as a real opportunity for employment in Galicia.
The report, broadcast by G24 Noticias, shows a group of students learning how to descale, fillet, and clean fish under the guidance of Elsa, a professional fishmonger who serves as the course instructor.
One of the participants stands out for his background: "In Cuba, I worked for 12 years on a longline fishing boat," he stated before the camera, exuding the confidence of someone who knows the sea intimately.
Other students start from scratch. "I've never been in contact with fish, but I do like it," explained another participant.
A Cuban woman stated: "I have always worked in an office or at a hotel. Now I want to see people eat the fish prepared and cleaned by me myself (...) And why not. Of course they are going to hire me!".
The program responds to a structural crisis in the sector. According to figures from Fedepesca, the number of fish markets in Spain dropped from over 15,000 in 2007 to just 9,800 today, while per capita fish consumption fell from 26.4 kg per year in 2014 to 17.8 kg in 2025, a decline of 32.5%.
In Galicia, the decline is equally striking. Consumption has dropped by nine kilograms per person per year over the last decade, and most of the fish consumed now arrives already processed from large retailers.
The presence of Cubans in this type of initiative is not a coincidence. Cuba is the third country with the highest number of citizens of Galician origin, with nearly 50,000 residents, only behind Argentina and Brazil.
The Xunta de Galicia promotes the Estratexia Galicia Retorna, equipped with 175 million euros and 37 measures for training and labor insertion, including the Retorna Cualifica Emprego program, which allows descendants of Galicians to arrive with a job contract already signed from their country of origin.
However, the video also sparked a debate on social media. Several users claimed to have completed similar courses without finding employment.
"I took the course more than 2 years ago and I'm still waiting for them to call me. They make you take the course and the internship is free. Then they send you home," wrote a user.
The sector is calling for a more comprehensive vocational training —that includes management and marine biology, not just fish processing— and public policies to curb the decline in consumption, which is currently concentrated in just four species: salmon, cephalopods, and various farmed fish.
In all of Spain, there are fewer than 20,000 professionals in the trade, and the profession continues to fail to attract local youth, which makes immigrants with maritime experience—such as Cubans trained in deep-sea fishing—natural candidates to fill that gap.
Filed under: