The Regional Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and the Natural Environment reminds us that the declaration of catches is compulsory for recreational vessels in all marine reserves in the Balearic Islands.
The closed season for the fishing of common skate will be lifted on 1 September and will last until 31 March. It should be remembered that fishing for this highly prized species in the Balearic Islands is completely banned from 1 April to 31 August, in order to protect it and ensure sustainable fishing.
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The closed season for fishing for ‘raors’ will be lifted on 1 September, and will last until 31 March
In this regard, the Director General of Fisheries, Antoni M. Grau, explained that the amount of fishing allowed per licence and per day is 50 units, always respecting the 5 kg/person, with a maximum of 300 units per boat. ‘The raor fishing is mainly recreational. In the Balearic Islands, there are more than 12,000 recreational boat licences. Few people fish professionally. What’s more, they do it occasionally,’ Grau stressed.
The declaration of catches is compulsory for recreational vessels in all the marine reserves of the Balearic Islands and can be made through telematic application or on paper. All vessels fishing in the marine reserves of the archipelago will have to apply for authorisation to fish within these protected areas. The procedure is free of charge and can be done via the website of the Regional Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and the Natural Environment.
The director general of Fisheries has also pointed out that based on the data collected with these declarations (4,221 between 2019 and 2023), raor fishing ‘accounts for 12% of the effort and 15% of the annual catch (kg) of recreational fishing by boats in the Balearic Islands, which is equivalent to 86.7 tonnes per year’. In addition, Grau pointed out that the common skate is the most sought-after species in recreational boat fishing. It is the first species caught in terms of number of individuals and the second in terms of weight (after squid).
The closure of the yellowtail was first established in 2000 and lasted until 31 July; since then, based on biological criteria, it has been extended and complemented by other measures. For example, in all the marine reserves of the Balearic Islands, a minimum hook size of 5.7 mm has been established for its capture. As a result of all these measures and the high degree of compliance with the closed season, the presence of the species and catches have been maintained in all fishing areas, with an average increase of 20% in the size of the fish and 100% in weight.