The Government will agree with the sector on the proposed expansion of the Freus Marine Reserve.

PalmThe Regional Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries, and the Natural Environment, through the Directorate General of Fisheries, will negotiate with the sector on the proposed expansion of the Freus Marine Reserve during its processing, with the aim of achieving "the broadest possible consensus." This was stated by the Regional Ministry in a press release on Wednesday, in which it emphasized that recreational fishing can be practiced normally in marine reserves, as has been the case in Freus for the past 25 years.

On July 16, during the meeting of the Monitoring Committee for the Freus Marine Reserves of Ibiza and Formentera and Punta de la Cruz, the Formentera Fishermen's Association, endorsed by the Formentera Island Council, proposed its expansion.

The Regional Ministry has begun working on the initiative, and it is expected to be publicly displayed this August. In this regard, the Director General of Fisheries, Antoni M. Grau, explained that during this period, the Government "will listen to and gather input from the parties involved in the expansion." He also assured that they will work together to ensure that the document "has as many points of agreement as possible," which, he believes, reaffirms the Government's willingness to advance measures supported by the professional fishing sector.

On the other hand, it has explained that, in any case, this proposal will only affect the waters of Formentera and, basically, the fishermen of that island. The Regional Ministry also pointed out that the expansion of the Freus Marine Reserve aims to protect the marine environment of the archipelago and the conservation of marine biodiversity.

The Balearic Islands currently have 12 marine reserves that total an area of more than 63,700 hectares. The Regional Ministry pointed out that without these reserves, artisanal fishing has more difficulty surviving.