Open season on raor fishing

The Office of Agriculture, Stock-breeding, Fish and Hunting of the Formentera Island Council, with the assistance of its consultation service for issues on fishing and related proceedings, wishes to report that as of Sunday, 1 September, open fishing season will be in effect for the raor (Xyrichthys novacula, or the pearly razorfish in English) until 1 April, 2004.

Required to fish the raor is a recreational fishing licence, which permits land- and watercraft-based fishing and has a validity of two years. According to information provided by Formentera's Office of Fishing, in the month of August roughly 150 such recreational fishing licences were delivered.

The licence allows for the catch of up to 50 fish on the condition that a maximum weight limit of 5 kg not be exceeded. Fishing is also allowed of other species like cephalopods (octopi, cuttlefish and squid), sea urchins, fish and 'puu', providing the 5 kg weight limit is respected. An allowance is made for one extra catch per day in addition to the normal weight restriction.

Excluded are species like tuna, albacore, swordfish, scabbardfish and marlin. Neither is capture permitted of coral or similar creatures, and it is likewise prohibited for seaworms, 'titas', seasnails, limpets, cockles and crustaceans like lobster, crabs, crawdads, scampi, bait prawns and other species of prawns, as well as additional marine species.

The legal measurements for captures vary from 11 cm for species like picarel (gerret), red mullet (moll) and poor cod (capellà), increase for larger species like hake (lluç) and sand steenbras (mabre) (20 cm), garfish (agulla) and European seabass (llop) (25 cm), monkfish (rap) and blackspot seabream (goràs) (30 and 33 cm respectively), while the largest species, like the dusky grouper (anfosos) and the pilotfish (pàmpol) (45 cm) and tuna, are required to have a minimum size of 115 cm or 30 kg.

The licence allows for capture with two fishing poles and two tackles, the exception being for fishing practiced on the Es Freus Marine Reserve of Eivissa and Formentera, where standard fishing – one pole per fisherman, with prohibition of surface and sea-bottom trolling, from 30 Oct. - 31 Mar. – is allowed, except in zones of special protection or where special fishing regulations are in place. Our marine reserves are mechanisms of protection for fish and wildlife, serving to regulate the use and exploitation of the undersea environment. One of the objectives behind the reserves is to increment natural regeneration and preserve our most representative ecosystems.

Likewise, we remind readers that there is a specific fishing period established for the fishing of young verderol of the class 0 age-group of amberjack (seriola dumerili). This opened 1 July and extends to 30 September in the waters of Eivissa and Formentera. All those specimens with a length under 30 cm are considered of class 0. Measurements are established in accord with part 2 of article 5 of Regulation 894/1997 (CE) of the Island Council.

As monitored by inspection and control services of the Formentera Council, the Marine Reserve, the Guàrdia Civil, and other administrations, recreational fishing watercraft cannot carry captures greater than the established maximum limits. Minor infractions carry penalties from 60€ to 300€, serious infractions between 301€ and 60,000€, and infractions classified as very serious are penalized with fines ranging from 60,001€ to 300,000€.

The Formentera Island Council performs inspections with its own semirigid watercraft in order to assure regulations are upheld and fines applied in those cases when this is necessary.

Other regulations intrinsic to the recreational fishing license are the non-use of electric cylinders in interior waters; the non-use of professional tackle (nets, longlines, etc.); the requirement of a special authorisation in the use of casting nets, lobster traps and llençetas; as well as the prohibition of any methods of attraction or artificial concentration of species being fished, such as lights, excepting grumeig lures.

These recommendations represent a small part of the local administration's effort to collaborate in making fishing sustainable. Respecting the marine ecosystem, using common sense measures and remaining within certain limits, we can continue to enjoy our seafaring and fishing traditions.

More information at Office of Agriculture, Stock-breeding, Fish and Hunting. 971 32 10 87 (Ext.3) pesca@conselldeformentera.cat