Conservas Ana María launched in 1997 and, since its inception, has focused on the artisanal manufacture of the highest quality anchovies from Santoña, Spain. In more recent years, it has expanded to include the canning of Albacore tuna.
The company continue to follow artisanal practices and clean, debone and trim the fish individually, by hand. They are then salted and hand packed into tins or jars.
Cantabrian anchovies make long migrations to reproduce and feed largely on plankton. They are fished in the Cantabrian sea, off the Northern coast of Spain.
Annual quotas have been set for the fishing of these anchovies, which has limited the total quantity, in weight, of anchovies that can be fished each year. These limits were based on scientific studies which looked at the reproductive capacity of the fish and their population size.
The individual size of the fish is now also protected, meaning that only fish which meet a minimum length, and have reached reproductive maturity, can be caught.
Selective fishing gear and fishing techniques to minimise the bycatch of other species as well as to allow younger fish to escape, have also been introduced.
MCS rating: 2.
Rating Guide
Rating 1: Best choice, the most sustainably produced seafood.
Rating 2: Best choice, some aspects of production could be improved.
Rating 3: Not entirely sustainable at this time, okay to eat occasionally.
Rating 4: Improvements need to be made, potential environmental issues associated with these products.
Rating 5: Fish to be avoided.