The Balearic Government has demanded this Friday a “profound change” in the fishing policies of the European Union, considering that they are “homogeneous and poorly adapted to the Mediterranean reality”, a model marked by coastal fishing, proximity to port and the strong socio-economic dependence of small local fleets.
The request was made by the Director General of Institutional Relations, Xesca Ramis, during the Euroregional meeting Cooperate to transform, held in Barcelona as part of the Mediterranean Day. There she argued that Brussels should recognize that the Mediterranean “is a coastal fishing area with its own identity” and that, therefore, it requires differentiated rules, specific financing and a more territorialized management.
More fishing days and a revision of the Demersal Plan
Ramis recalled that the Pyrenees-Mediterranean Euroregion has created for the first time a working group on Fisheries and has approved a joint declaration addressed to the European Commission. Among the demands are:
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the revision of the Multiannual Demersal Fisheries Plan (MAP),
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more fishing days for Mediterranean fleets,
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decisions based on updated data specific to the territory,
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and a revision of the landing obligation, which in the Mediterranean “has not been effective and has increased bureaucracy”.
The director general insisted that the current community framework “does not sufficiently incorporate the particularities of the Mediterranean sector” and called for real financial support to modernize the fleet and advance in decarbonization.
Grau calls for regionalized management and recognizes improvements in the Balearic Islands
The general director of Fisheries, Antoni Maria Grau, participated in a round table with the general secretary of State Fisheries, Isabel Artime, and representatives from other regions. Grau admitted that the Demersal Plan has contributed to the recovery of resources, but stressed that “now is the time to rethink management to ensure a sustainable and viable future for our fisheries”.
As an example, he pointed out that in the Balearic Islands the reduction of fishing effort has favored a remarkable recovery of catches and defended the need for regionalized plans, such as the one demanded by the Government for the GSA5 -the sub-area that includes the Balearic Islands- with limitations adapted to the particularities of the territory.
Grau also highlighted the weight of the Balearic Islands in marine conservation, with more than 40% of the sea protected, 67,000 hectares of marine reserves and areas of high protection and co-management. In addition, he insisted that the direct participation of the sector is “essential” to move towards a balanced management and recalled the socioeconomic impact that the MAP has had on the professional fleet and the commercial system.
Recognizing insularity and improving the market
The Govern demanded that the EU recognize the insularity factor and move towards a regionalized segmentation of fishing grounds, with decisions adjusted to the economic and maritime reality of each archipelago. It also defended the modernization of the market system, reinforcing transparency and fair competition.
A debate that coexists with tensions in recreational fisheries
Although the day in Barcelona focused on professional fishing, this debate comes at a time when the Pitiusas also live a parallel discussion on the management of recreational fishing effort. The imminent implementation of the state app PescaREC, which will oblige to declare the outputs and catches in external waters from January, has provoked criticism among recreationalists in Ibiza and a more nuanced approach in Formentera, where they support the control but question that it is imposed only via app.
In turn, the debate on a more adapted management for the Mediterranean comes at a time when the Balearic Islands are also promoting new spaces for participation, such as the Consell de Pesca Insular, conceived to strengthen the dialogue between the sector, the administration and scientists.
Both debates -professional and recreational- coincide in one basic point: the demand for management tools adapted to the specificity of the Balearic Islands and the reality of the Mediterranean, where small fleets, highly sensitive species and a marine environment under heavy pressure coexist.
