The Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, Mae de la Concha, has reiterated to the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, Luis Planas, the request for the marine reserve of s’Illeta, in Sóller. This took place during the course of the Consultative Council on Agricultural and Fisheries Policy, held in Madrid. De la Concha gave him information material on the marine reserve and even a T-shirt.

The request was made in Madrid, as the waters of this marine reserve, located in the western part of the Serra de Tramuntana, are external and therefore under state jurisdiction. The Sóller yacht club and the Cofradía de Pescadores de Sóller (Sóller Fishermen’s Guild) promoted the creation of this reserve in 2009. This platform has enjoyed the support of civil society, with associations and entities, as well as citizens and institutions, such as the competent fisheries body and the unanimous support of Sóller town council at the time of the presentation.

De la Concha explained to the minister that it would mean recovering a great deal of biodiversity and improving fishing and diving activities. “It is a request that has come from Sóller, with the support of all sectors, and I have conveyed to him the need and importance of this reserve for this area,” she explained. Furthermore, according to the councillor, “Sóller, in general, has an attitude very much in line with the times and with what Europe is asking for, both in agriculture, fishing, food in general, towards ecological agriculture, sustainable production, and a marine reserve there would be particularly useful”.

More than 5,000 hectares

According to the report drawn up by the platform, the marine reserve would stretch from the area of Ses Puntes, in Sóller, to Morro de’n Llobera, in the municipality of Escorca. It would extend 1.5 miles out to sea from the coast, would occupy a total area of 5,033.4 hectares, and would have an integral reserve zone. The Port de Sóller has two trawlers and seven small-scale fishing boats, as well as recreational vessels.