Mallorca trawler fishing days: five regions seek change
Mallorca, Spain, could see a new way of setting trawler fishing days: the Balearic Islands and four other regions want to change the rule for the western Mediterranean fleet. The Balearic Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and the Environment announced the proposal in Palma on Friday 16 October 2026. It plans to send it to European Commissioner for Fisheries and Oceans Costas Kadis.
Why the regions want a change
Under the current rule, the most vulnerable fish species affects how many days the entire trawler fleet can fish. The Balearic Islands, Catalonia, the Valencian Community, the Region of Murcia and Andalusia want decisions to reflect several species, scientific data and differences between fishing areas.
At a meeting in Brussels on 3 September, Kadis suggested averaging estimates for different fish stocks. The five regions say that would still rely on separate assessments of species for which the available data and the areas studied are not always comparable.
What the plan would do
The proposal would track how much fish is available across several species, changes in their sizes, and how much is caught compared with what remains. If stocks are stable or growing and catches stay within safe limits, fishing could continue at its current level. Unfavourable results would call for measures suited to the affected stock and area.
The regions also want conservation to rely on more than cuts to fishing days. They propose temporary fishing bans, closures of particular areas and gear that catches species more selectively. The ministry has not said whether the European Commission will take up the plan.
Topics: Environment · Politics
Source: Europa Press / Mallorca.com