The closed season for the raor fishing season begins this Thursday, 1st September, and will last until 31st March. This marks the start of one of the most eagerly awaited seasons for recreational fishermen in the Balearic Islands. In fact, the common sea bream is the species most fished by recreational fishermen on the islands, according to data from the Diario de Pesca Recreativa (DPR), the mobile application where recreational fishermen can declare their catches. There are more than 12,000 recreational boat licences in the Balearic Islands. This year, the lifting of the closed season falls on a Thursday and, therefore, it should be remembered that fishermen in the marine reserve of the Bay of Palma will have to wait until Friday, the 2nd, as it is forbidden to fish in this area on Thursdays. Few people fish for raor professionally, and those who do fish for raor do so on an occasional basis.
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This year, the Directorate General for Fisheries and the Marine Environment, of the Regional Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, is sampling 40 raors in the marine reserves of fishing interest in order to monitor the species. The rangers and inspectors will collect data on the raors, such as their size, sex, fishing depth and whether they have any illnesses, among others. The amount of fishing allowed per licence per day is 50 units, with a maximum of 300 units per boat. The fishing of the common skate is totally prohibited between 1 April and 31 August in order to protect and ensure the sustainability of the species.
The raor closure was first established in 2000 and has since been modified on the basis of biological criteria. As a result of the measures and the high level of compliance with the closure, the presence of the species and catches have been maintained in all fishing areas, with an average increase of 20% in the size of the fish.
The declaration of catches is compulsory for recreational boaters in all marine reserves of the Balearic Islands and can be done through the mobile application or on paper. It must also be done by spearfishermen in the reserves where this modality can still be practised. In addition, all vessels fishing in the marine reserves of the Balearic Islands will soon have to have an authorisation, which will be free of charge and can be downloaded online.