A study by the Government and IMEDEA demonstrates the benefits of the raor fishing ban

Joan Simonet: "Fisheries management based on sustainability is key to ensuring the future of marine biodiversity and fishing, and this research is a clear example."

The Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries, and Natural Environment, through the Institute for Agri-food and Fisheries Research and Training of the Balearic Islands (IRFAP) and the Mediterranean Institute for Advanced Studies of the University of the Balearic Islands (IMEDEA), has demonstrated in a study the effectiveness of the raor (Xyrichtys novacula) fishing ban in helping this species recover in Balearic waters. Minister Joan Simonet explained that "fisheries management based on sustainability is key to ensuring the future of marine biodiversity and fishing, and this research is a clear example." He also noted that “the characteristics of the raor make it one of the most highly valued species in the archipelago’s gastronomy.”

As part of the METARAOR project, funded by the 2021–2023 National Plan for Scientific, Technical and Innovation Research, a research team from IRFAP, together with another from IMEDEA (CSIC-UIB), compared biological data from over 5,000 raors taken from samples collected before the implementation of the fishing ban with those collected after the ban was already in force. Specifically, they assessed length, live weight, liver weight, gonad weight, and other morphological parameters. They also analyzed the movements of raor specimens inside and outside marine protected areas using transmitters and receivers, and conducted molecular studies on genetic diversity.

The data show that the raor fishing ban, in effect since 2000 (currently from April 1 to August 31), has led to larger, more resilient fish with greater reproductive capacity. One of the proven effects is that, thanks to this measure, raors now change sex at 18 cm, compared to 14 cm before the ban. According to Dr. Amàlia Grau, an IRFAP researcher, “this is essential for the sustainability of the raor, as larger females produce a greater number of eggs.” Grau pointed out that this species is a sequential hermaphrodite (individuals are born female and, depending on environmental conditions, some change sex to male), and that recreational fishing used to target the largest males, which forced females to change sex prematurely and at a smaller size, thus reducing their reproductive potential.

On another note, Grau stated that “marine reserves of fishing interest play a key role as reservoirs of genetic biodiversity. By protecting a greater genetic diversity within the species, it becomes more resilient to threats such as climate change, pollution, or overfishing.”