The Balearics ask for a change of the MAP to guarantee a sustainable future for the fishing sector

The Counselling of Presidency and the one of Agriculture, Fishing and Natural Environment defend in Barcelona changing the MAP, the recognition of insularity and a model based on the comanagement and the scientific knowledge.

The general director of Institutional Relations and with the Parliament, Xesca Ramis, and the general director of Fishing, Antoni Maria Grau, have represented the Government of the Balearic Islands today at the euroregional encounter “Cooperar para transformar”, celebrated in Barcelona in the mark of the Day of the Mediterranean and organized by ARCA, the Mediterranean Pyrenees Euroregion and Catalonia's Generalitat.

The session has allowed exposing the main requests of the Government regarding fishing management and also sharing experiences between Mediterranean regions in a key moment for the future of the sector.

During the inauguration, the general director Ramis has defended the need of a deep change in the Europen fishing policies, which often are homogeneus and not very adapted to the Mediterranean reality.

Ramis hareminded that the Euroregion has created this year a specific work group of Fishing and has approved a claim directed to the European Commission with key demand: a revision of the Multiannual Plan of Demersal Fishing (MAP); more fishing days for the Mediterranean fleet; a territorialized regulation and base on updated data; and a revision of the obligation of a disembarking, that in the Mediterranean has not been effective and has incremented burocracy.

The general director has pointed out that the Mediterranean is "a space of coastal fishing with a main identity", with a productive model linked to local ports and to fishing communities, and has asked the EU to recognize this fact, to protect coastal fishing and add real finance mechanisms support to update the fleet and decarbonization, all essential for the generational relay.

In his intervention, general director, Antoni M. Grau, has participated in a round table with the general secretary of Fishing of Spain, Isabel Artime, and representatives of other Mediterranean regions. Grau, who has assisted in representation of the Counselling of Agriculture, Fishing and Natural Environment, has remarked that the MAP has contribute to recover the state of the resources, but that "now it's the moment to overhaul the management to guarantee a sustainable and managable future for our fisheries”.

Grau has exposed that in the Balearic Islands the reduction of the fishing effort has favored a noticeable recovery of the captures, fact that reinforces the need of regionalized plans, such as the one that the Government claims for the GSA5, with limitations adapted to the particularities of the territory. It has also put into value the capacity of the Balearics in marine conservation, with over 40% of the protected sea, 67.000 hectares of marine fishing reserves and the Balearic Plan of Marine Conservation, which adds high protection, comanagement and specific programs for key species areas.

In addition, he has reminded that the direct participation of the sector in the decision-making "is essential to advance towards a sustainable and balanced management”, and has highlighted the importance of recognizing the socioeconomic effects of the MAP on the fleet and on the commercial fishing system. In this sense, he has defended that the European Union must recognize the insularity factor and advance towards a regionalized segmentation of the fishing grounds, at the same time that it updates the market sustem and transparency and loyal competence are reinforced.

Finally, Ramis as well as Grau have highlighted that the encounter conffirms the importance of colaboration between administrations, science and the fishing sector to guarantee that the conservation and sustainability measures are compatible with economic viability of the local fleets and with preservation of the cultural identity of Mediterranean communities.