The Marine Reserve of the Bay of Palma confirms its positive ecological and fishing results

The Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Natural Environment, through the Directorate General of Fisheries, convened the Monitoring Committee of the Bay of Palma Marine Reserve this Tuesday, May 5th, confirming its positive ecological and fishing results. The meeting reinforces the sector’s participation in the management of marine reserves.

With this meeting, the Ministry once again demonstrates its commitment to the participatory governance of marine reserves, considered a key tool for regulating the use and exploitation of marine resources, promoting their natural regeneration, and ensuring the conservation of ecosystems.

In this regard, the Director General of Fisheries, Antoni M. Grau, highlighted that “it is important for the management of marine reserves to have the opinion and support of organizations and professionals linked to the fishing sector. For this reason, and to guarantee public participation, all marine reserves have a monitoring committee.”

The Bay of Palma Marine Reserve dates back to 1982 and is the oldest marine protected area in Spain. The meeting took place at the facilities of the s’Arenal Yacht Club and included representatives from the Balearic Government, the Mallorca Island Council, and Llucmajor Town Council. Representatives from the professional and recreational fishing sectors (the Palma Fishermen’s Guild and the Balearic Federation of Fishermen’s Guilds), diving centers, yacht clubs, and scientific institutions (the Balearic Islands Oceanographic Center–IEO and the Mediterranean Institute for Advanced Studies of the Balearic Islands–IMEDEA) also participated.

During the meeting, several issues were discussed and two scientific projects led by IMEDEA (CSIC-UIB) were presented.

Regarding the monitoring of commercial fish populations, the results of the latest campaign carried out in April 2022 are significant, although the area is highly oligotrophic and lacks rocky zones, meaning the maximum potential biomass is very low (2.7 kg/250 m²). Nevertheless, the biomass of commercial fish recorded in 2022 in the fully protected reserve area (2.7 kg/250 m²) is three times higher than that recorded in the first census in May 2000. Biomass in the general reserve area (1.8 kg/250 m²) and in control zones (1.2 kg/250 m²) are respectively 200% and 160% higher than those recorded twenty-two years earlier.

In this sense, Grau emphasized that “the data confirm that marine reserves work: there are more fish and they are larger. This translates directly into improved sustainability for small-scale artisanal fishing.”

In another scientific project led by IMEDEA (CSIC-UIB), researchers identified the reserve as a breeding area for elasmobranchs such as rays and sharks. Using acoustic telemetry, researchers were able to track individual movements and detect migratory patterns. In fact, it was observed that many species travel along the coast of Mallorca and return every spring to specific areas, such as Cap Enderrocat, to reproduce.

A second IMEDEA project, carried out in collaboration with the Directorate General of Fisheries, involves the development of an innovative artificial intelligence-based system to automatically estimate fish size from images of recreational catches (ichthyometer). This system, validated with the participation of volunteer fishers through the recreational fishing logbook, improves the quality of fisheries data. At the same time, studies in the Bay of Palma Marine Reserve show that this area, which is key for pearly razorfish fishing, produces catches above what fishers consider optimal (around twenty-three individuals per fisher per day compared to the optimal level of eighteen), demonstrating the reserve’s success from both ecological and social perspectives.

During the meeting, data on regulated activities within the reserve were also presented. Regarding professional fishing, artisanal vessels from the Palma Fishermen’s Guild operate in the Bay of Palma Marine Reserve, concentrating their activity between January and April targeting transparent goby fry (“jonquillo”), while there is no activity during the rest of the year. As for recreational fishing, there are 663 registered vessels and 80 spearfishers, although actual activity is very limited. Diving activity continues its trend of moderate annual growth, reaching 2,700 dives in 2025.

The western boundary of the marine reserve was also discussed, as it was originally drawn in 1982 using a cartographic and bathymetric system that has since become obsolete. In this regard, the Ministry will process a proposal to modify it by replacing the bathymetric reference with straight lines following the current boundary layout.

The session concluded with an exchange of opinions and proposals among attendees, highlighting the importance of this body as a space for participation and consensus in the management of marine reserves.

Marine reserves are fisheries conservation areas in which the use and exploitation of marine resources are regulated in order to promote natural regeneration and conserve marine ecosystems. One of their main functions is to support small-scale artisanal fishing.

In the Balearic Islands, with twelve marine reserves covering more than 63,700 hectares, experience shows that without marine reserves, artisanal fishing would hardly be able to survive. Within the reserves there are more fish and larger fish. Species that are scarce outside the reserves are abundant within them, and catches are more significant both in quantity and quality. In addition, marine reserves have become an important benchmark for diving tourism, with more than 73,000 dives annually.