Oceana is urging the Spanish government to put a stop to trawling in the Minorca Channel, which although banned in 2006, is still carried out with impunity.
The Mediterranean Regulation, the European legislation which came into effect in 2006 and prohibited trawling over coral and maerl ecosystems, was implemented to protect these vulnerable ecosystems, but studies show that pressure from trawling has increased in recent years because of growth in the fleet operating in this zone.
“The case of the Minorca Channel, between Majorca and Minorca, is particularly worrying. Detailed charts made by the Instituto Español de Oceanografia (IEO) demonstrate the presence of coral and maerl and, in spite of that, trawlers continue fishing illegally over these beds with impunity,” said Xavier Pastor, executive director, Oceana, Europe.
In addition, the government has just approved its protection within the UE’s Natura 2000 network. For this reason, Ocean says it is “doubly urgent” to enforce the legislation and end trawling in the Channel.
“Trawlers have had 8 years to comply with and adapt to this legislation. It is surprising that they still ask to fish across prohibited areas. This is detrimental to artisan fishing and to the whole general public which has a right to enjoy a healthy sea,” added Marta Carreras, marine biologist, Oceana.
Oceana says if this ban were enforced and trawling eliminated from the Minorca Channel, ecosystems essential for a number of commercial and non-commercial species would recover, which would favour development of professional artistsan fishing and encourage other economic activities such as diving in protected areas full of marine life.
