The fishing ban is lifted for 'raors'

From the 1st of September until the 31st of March it will be possible to fish for this highly prized species in the Balearic Islands

From tomorrow, 1 September, until 31 March, the closed season for fishing ‘raors’, a protected species, whose capture is totally prohibited from 1 April to 31 August. The aim is to “protect it and ensure sustainable fishing”, reports the Regional Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and the Natural Environment in a press release.

Per licence and per day, a maximum of 50 fish may be caught, and per boat, no more than 300 fish may be caught, explained the director general of Fisheries, Antoni Grau, who pointed out: “Fishing for ‘raor’ is mainly recreational in nature. In this regard, it should be noted that there are more than 12,000 recreational boat licences on the islands, as few people fish professionally, and those who do, do so on an occasional basis”.

In accordance with the regulations concerning the closure of the ‘raor’ fishing season, all vessels fishing in the Balearic marine reserves will have to obtain authorisation to do so (available on the Regional Ministry’s website) and must declare their catches using a mobile phone application (Diario de Pesca Recreativa -DPR-) or on paper.

The positive balance of the ‘raor’ ban in Mallorca

Since the year 2000, the ‘raor’ has been closed, which at that time lasted until 31 July. This, together with other measures, such as the establishment of a minimum hook size of 5.7 mm in Mallorca’s marine reserves, has guaranteed the presence of the species and a 20 % increase in the size of the fish.