Menorca Channel fishing curbs: Mallorca group pushes back

Four species show greater genetic diversity in a part of the Menorca Channel where trawling has been banned since 2016. Now Mallorca fishing group OPMallorcamar is pushing back against further fishing curbs. On 30 October, it said any new limits must have a specific scientific justification.

What the study found

The research was led by the University of the Balearic Islands, with the Balearic Oceanographic Centre and the Institute of Marine Research taking part. OPMallorcamar says the findings are valuable and should help guide how the area is monitored and managed.

But the group says the study does not, on its own, show where another closed area should be or how large it should be. It wants each proposed restriction assessed for its need, its boundaries and its consequences.

What the fishers want next

OPMallorcamar backs the Balearic Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and the Natural Environment in opposing wider restrictions on commercial fishing in the channel. Last week, the Balearic government and industry representatives agreed to work together in talks with Spain’s government on behalf of the affected fleets.

The group wants fishers involved in any review of the rules. It also wants officials to consider improvements to fishing boats, including trawling gear that fishers say does not touch the seabed. OPMallorcamar argues that protecting marine habitats must be weighed alongside a fishing industry that supplies local fish and supports jobs in Balearic ports.

Topics: Environment · Politics · Palma

Source: Europa Press / Mallorca.com