Trawling prohibited in Cabrera

17 Jul 2013

The Spanish government and other involved parties have reached an agreement to prohibit trawling over the coralligenous communities and rhodolites beds on the seamounts of the Mallorca Channel and the area East of Cabrera.

These are habitats mentioned in the fishing regulations in force since 2006, for which Oceana says the Government had not provided effective protection – and they are continuously subject to degradation because of illegal fishing.

“After years of battle, the summits of the Ausias March and Emile Baudot seamounts will be protected, as well as the impressive coral reef located east of Cabrera, known as Fort d’en Moreu, where a vast Mediterranean kelp forest, also protected by environmental laws, grows,” explains Xavier Pastor, Executive Director of Oceana in Europe.

“All areas containing coralligenous communities and rhodolites in the Mediterranean will be closed off to activities that deteriorate them, but it is also of the utmost importance for fishing to conserve the few areas with Bamboo Gorgonians (Isidella elongata), giant sea pens (Funiculina quadrangularis), crinoids or brachiopods, and a long list of other habitats. Many of them are outside the areas that Spain is going to close now and their conservation is essential for fishing species like prawn and hake, as well as for several protected species”, points out Ricardo Aguilar, Director of Research of Oceana Europe.

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