The financing of the fishing sector and the naval mortgage in Spain (1900–1959)

Abstract

The literature on Spanish maritime fishing tends to have the sector really starting to prosper at the beginning of the 1960s when the new Francoist development policies and strong government financial support programmes led Spain to the position of being among the main fishing powers in the world. The objective of this article is to analyse the previous forms of financing of the activity between 1900 and 1959. First, the article deals with the constitution of naval mortgages. It then analyses the stages, intervening agents, and role of private and public initiatives, going into depth with each of the channelling organizations. Finally, in the conclusions, the main results are highlighted – namely, the withdrawal of private financing and the emergence of the state as the driving force of the fishing sector.