The Government calls for modifications to the Mediterranean fisheries management plan

During the meeting, Costas Kadis announced that the measures introduced last year by Europe will remain in place and that there will be no additional cuts this year.

The Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries, and Natural Environment, Joan Simonet, accompanied by the Director General of Fisheries, Antoni M. Grau, met today, June 18th, in Strasbourg with the European Commissioner for Fisheries and Oceans, Costas Kadis. This was the first bilateral meeting between a Fisheries Commissioner and the Balearic Government. Also in attendance were the president of the Balearic Federation of Fishermen’s Guilds, Domingo Bonnín, the federation’s secretary, Carles Ros, and MEP Rosa Estaràs. During the meeting, Simonet once again emphasized the need to amend the Mediterranean fisheries management plan to ensure the sector’s viability. In this regard, he stated that “the measures included in the management plan, such as limiting fishing activity to 130 days per year, have a negative impact on the fishing sector and endanger its survival, as well as that of the entire social, commercial, and cultural network that depends on it.”

On this matter, the minister informed the European Commissioner that “the fishing structure of the Balearic Islands is maintained thanks to a fleet of 30 trawlers, and if these disappear, the entire fishing activity will also vanish.” Furthermore, Simonet added, “the loss of vessels over the last ten years has led to a reduction of up to 40% in landed catches compared to the average of the past 30 years. This, combined with the limitation of fishing days, leaves the residents of the Balearic Islands without access to local fish.”

Simonet also requested that the European Commissioner recognize the insularity factor in Mediterranean fishing and move toward regionalized management of fishing grounds through the segmentation of the Mediterranean into GSAs (Geographical Sub-Areas). “This measure would allow management to be adapted to the ecological and socioeconomic particularities of each area of the Mediterranean Sea.”

Meanwhile, the Director General of Fisheries, Antoni M. Grau, explained that “since the plan came into force, we have identified a series of shortcomings both in the drafting of the regulation and in the European Commission's implementation measures.” For this reason, he insisted that “it is necessary to review the document to make it more effective as a fisheries management tool and to ensure the recovery of species.”

Finally, Simonet used the meeting to present Kadis with the Balearic Islands’ marine conservation policy. Currently, more than 40% of Balearic waters are protected under the Natura 2000 Network. Additionally, 21% of inland waters, a total of 67,000 hectares, are designated as marine fishing reserves. The minister emphasized that “these measures, which are pioneering on a Mediterranean and European scale, have the support of the sector.”

During his intervention, the president of the Balearic Federation of Fishermen’s Guilds, Domingo Bonnín, presented the current situation of fishing in the Balearic Islands and stressed the importance of the insularity factor. He explained that “this particularity shapes the sector, which has a smaller fleet than other fishing communities on the mainland and less capacity.”

For his part, the EU Commissioner for Fisheries and Oceans, Costas Kadis, announced that the measures introduced last year by Europe will remain in force and that, therefore, there will be no additional cuts this year, for example, in the number of days vessels are allowed to fish. He also highlighted the co-management efforts (between the Ministry and the fishing sector) being carried out in the Islands and “the importance of fishermen seeing themselves as part of the solution.”

It’s worth recalling that last April, Minister Simonet, together with fisheries officials from other autonomous communities, held a meeting with Minister Luis Planas and Commissioner Costas Kadis.