/ Town Hall
Tuesday 6th September 2022
THE GOVERNMENT OF THE BALEARIC ISLANDS APPROVES THE EXPANSION OF THE MARINE RESERVES OF MALGRATS AND EL TORO ISLANDS
The expansion joins the two reserves in response to a Calvià Town Hall's plenary agreement
On Tuesday 6th September, the BOIB publishes the Decree for the expansion of the Marine Reserves of Malgrats and El Toro islands, which will mean the union of both, going from having 227 hectares of surface, to having 2.952 hectares. The Decree also regulates both, marine flora or fauna extraction activities and underwater activities.
CAIB's press release:
The Consell de Govern, at the proposal of the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, has approved the decree establishing the marine reserves of El Toro and Malgrats islands, and regulating both, the marine flora and fauna extraction activities and underwater activities. The El Toro and Malgrats Islands marine reserves were created in 2004 by the Government of the Balearic Islands based on a study by the Balearic Natural History Society. Until now, the total area of these two marine reserves of fishing interest was 227 hectares. With the unification and expansion to the tip of Cala Figuera, they reach 2.952 hectares, that is, 13 times more than the current surface.
The unification and expansion of the marine reserve will extend the recovery of fishing resources that has occurred in the existing reserves over a larger area, will increase the commercial fish stocks in the southwest of Mallorca and will favour the fishing and artisanal sector and the economic activities related to the observation of fish.
Calvià Town Hall's plenary session held on 24th September 2020, adopted the majority agreement to urge the Government of the Balearic Islands to initiate the file to unify and expand the current marine reserves. The reasons would be the good environmental status of Rafaubetx cove and the existence of benthic habitats of great value, such as posidonia meadows and coralligenous formations, which may contain fish populations with diversity and biomass values much higher than those observed. The union of the two reserves may be the precedent for a future expansion towards the Palma bay and the Sec and Porrassa islets, as requested by Calvià Town Hall and some private conservationist entities, when the conditions that allow it occur.
Since its creation, the biomass has experienced extraordinary growth, and in some emblematic species such as the grouper and sea crow it is, respectively, up to 52 and 284 times higher than 18 years ago on El Toro island. As for all the fish species vulnerable to fishing, the existing biomass on El Toro island is the largest ever recorded at any point on the coast of the Balearic Islands.
Special diving areas
The decree also establishes the flora and fauna extraction activities that are allowed, such as professional fishing of small-gear vessels registered in the corresponding census and recreational fishing and shellfishing. Land recreational fishing between Cala de s’Art and Morro de’n Feliu is prohibited. As for underwater activities, the decree establishes two special diving zones, one for El Toro island and another for the Malgrats islands. Night dives are not allowed in either of them.
In El Toro island's special diving zone, located in the marine perimeter of the island, all kinds of sea fishing and extraction of marine flora and fauna are prohibited, with the exception of samples for scientific purposes and professional small-scale fishing with traditional coastal fishing devices such as the 'parada, moruna (spiral net) or solta', at its point known as Clot des Moro, and the jonquillera between 1st January and 30th April.
In the Malgrats Islands' special diving zone, located in Malgrats and Conills islands marine perimeter, it is also not possible to fish or extract marine flora and fauna, with the exception of samples for scientific purposes and professional small-scale fishing with traditional coastal fishing devices such as the 'parada, moruna (spiral net) or solta' at its point known as Racó de s'Almadraba, the jonquillera between 1st January and 30th April. The use of the jig for cephalopods and the use of the string with fishhooks is allowed between 1st October and 31st December and between 1st October and 30th April, respectively. Recreational fishing from land with fishing rod (maximum of one fishing rod per angler) will be allowed between 1st January and 30th April. Fishing from the islets is prohibited.
The special diving zones establish specific points where dives can be carried out with a daily maximum. Thus, el Toro island has 6 specific points, which will have to be marked out. Each point can be visited four times a day and by a maximum of 12 divers per visit. The number of maximum daily dives may not exceed 290 people in any case, nor can there ever be more than 48 people diving simultaneously in the immediate surroundings of el Toro island. The Malgrats islands' area will have 4 specific points, which will also have to be marked out, and can be visited four times a day and also by a maximum of 12 divers per visit. The maximum number of daily dives may not exceed 192 people in any case.
The marine reserves of fishing interest have proven to be, since 1999, the year in which the network of reserves began to be created, an important management tool to recover commercial fish stocks and to conserve natural marine habitats. The decree also establishes the creation of a monitoring commission for the reserve, which replaces the monitoring commissions for the marine reserves of el Toro and Malgrats islands.
