Mallorca raor season opens with 50-fish daily limit
Mallorca’s raor fishing season opens on Tuesday, 1 September, with each angler allowed to catch up to 50 fish a day. The season runs across the Balearics until 31 March 2027. The Balearic Government says the stock has fully recovered.
Fishing starts along the whole Balearic coastline, including marine reserves. The High Protection Zone of Malgrats is the exception: fishing there remains banned until 1 October.
Bigger fish after the closed season
The Directorate-General for Fisheries has tracked raor populations across the islands since 1994, with particular attention to Mallorca. It found overfishing in 1999, when the fish’s average size was falling.
A closed season was introduced in 2000, running from 1 April to 31 August to prevent catches during the breeding period. Studies by the Marine Research and Aquaculture Laboratory and the Mediterranean Institute for Advanced Studies found that the measure increased both the number of fish and their average size.
In the latest season studied, raor recorded directly by the Government in Mallorca averaged 168 millimetres — 35 per cent above the 124 millimetres recorded in 1999. Fish analysed in 2025 weighed 70 grams on average, compared with 26 grams in 1999.
Checks increase as fishing restarts
The Government’s fisheries inspectors will step up work at the main raor fishing spots when the season begins, targeting illegal catches and possible breaches.
Breaking the closed-season ban is a serious fisheries offence. The minimum fine is 151 euros for each fish, and can rise considerably depending on the circumstances.
In marine reserves, anglers must log their catches with the Government’s Marine Resources Service, preferably through the Diari de Pesca app. In state marine reserves, they can use the Ministry’s PescaREC app.
About 6,600 catch reports have been filed since 2019. By number caught, raor is the leading species for recreational boat anglers in the Balearics; by weight, it accounts for 15.7 per cent of the annual catch.
Topics: Nature & wildlife · Sea & coast · Agriculture · Politics · Economy
Source: Europa Press / Mallorca.com