Ibiza and Formentera move towards a fishing plan adapted to the sector’s current reality

Agreement with fishermen and the Valencian Regional Government to update regulations, with a joint draft to be submitted to the Ministry in the coming weeks.

The Director General for Fisheries of the Balearic Government, Antoni M. Grau, held a meeting yesterday, January 28, at the headquarters of the Consell Insular d’Eivissa with representatives of the Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries of the Valencian Regional Government, as well as representatives of the Balearic Federation of Fishermen’s Guilds, the Federation of Fishermen’s Guilds of Alicante, the fishermen’s guilds of Ibiza and Formentera, and members of the Island Councils of Ibiza and Formentera.

The aim of the meeting was to make progress on a proposal for a new regulation governing the trawling fishing plan in the Ibiza and Formentera fishing grounds, which would replace both the state regulation in force for more than forty years and the current order dating back to 2005. This update responds to the need to adapt the rules to the present-day reality of the fishing sector. According to Grau, “when the sector is given the opportunity to propose solutions, it becomes easier to reach agreements that benefit everyone. This new order is intended to be a tool for consensus and modernisation, ensuring the sustainability of the fishing grounds and the economic viability of the sector.”

Among the main lines of the new proposal is the possibility for fishermen from Alicante to market all legally caught species preferably in Ibiza and Formentera. The plan also envisages removing the current list of restricted species and expanding fishing and marketing options in a safe and sustainable manner. In this regard, the Director General added that “dialogue between fishermen from two neighbouring autonomous communities is the best example of fisheries co-management.”

Another key measure focuses on regulating the transit of vessels from the mainland to the Pitiusas, with the aim of maximising effective fishing hours and facilitating fishermen’s activity, provided that they guarantee the local sale of their catch.

The next step will be the drafting of a joint proposal, which will be submitted to the Ministry for processing, with the objective of establishing an updated and widely agreed regulation that efficiently governs fishing activity in the Pitiusas.