Agriculture, Fisheries and Natural Environment creates a management plan for lobster fishing in the inland waters of the Balearic Islands

The Official Bulletin of the Balearic Islands (BOIB) published today Tuesday the Order of the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and the Natural Environment, Joan Simonet, establishing a management plan for lobster fishing (Palinurus spp.) in the inland waters of the Balearic Islands. In this sense, it should be remembered that in February of last year the State Administration published Order APA/201/2023, of February 26, which establishes a management plan for to fishing for lobster (Palinurus spp.) in the external waters adjacent to the Balearic Islands. This Order establishes new technical measures aimed at improving the sustainability of lobster fishing in external waters adjacent to the archipelago, which is why it is necessary to update the regional regulations, so that they agree with those of external waters and can be maintained a sustainable management of the fishing of this crustacean in the coming years.

Common or red lobster fishing is one of the main activities of the small gear fleet of the Balearic Islands, so "the maintenance of this resource is of paramount importance for the survival of professional fishing in the archipelago", said Councilor Simonet. In this regard, it should be noted that this Order is applicable to Spanish vessels fishing in the internal waters of the Balearic Islands.

This new management plan, which comes into effect tomorrow Wednesday, although for the 2025 season, maintains many of the regulations already in place, such as the seven-month ban, the absence of mandatory weekly rest, the minimum size or the ban on catching ovated females, but incorporates new developments aimed at mitigating the environmental impact of the activity, such as the reduction to 24 hours of the period of settling nets at sea, the materials of the nets or the length peak of tremors. It also incorporates measures relating to the accidental capture of seabirds, turtles, sharks and sea snails, and the possibility of making fishing with lobster nets compatible with the use of shoreline moorings.