In 2023, more than 70,000 recreational dives were made in Balearic marine reserves

The Regional Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Natural Environment, through the Directorate General of Fisheries, has revealed the data on the number of recreational diving dives in marine reserves of the Balearic Islands during 2023.

In total, 74,000 were registered last year (in 2022 the number was 67,200). In particular, the most relevant data is given in the special diving area of the Isla del Toro (former Marine Reserve of the Isla del Toro), in Mallorca, which exceeded 26,000 dives despite being a very small area that has probably reached the maximum allowable capacity.

El Toro is followed by the Northern Marine Reserve in Menorca, with a total of 12,000 dives, and Els Freus in Ibiza and Formentera, with 11,700 dives. It should be noted that only the Sa Dragonera Island Marine Reserve has experienced a reduction in the number of divers compared to 2022 (from 2,200 to 1,600), mainly due to the inactivity of the main tourist diving center in the area.

However, the director general of Fisheries, Antoni M. Grau, recalled that "during the summer of 2024, Order 21/2022, which establishes the criteria for responsible recreational diving in marine reserves, will be applicable. In this sense, the aim is to set minimum standards of quality, safety and sustainability for the activity".

The marine reserves are fishery conservation figures through which the uses and exploitation of marine resources are regulated in order to increase the natural regeneration of these resources and conserve the most representative ecosystems. One of the main functions of the reserves is to maintain small-scale fishing. "The Balearic Islands have 12 marine reserves, covering more than 63,700 hectares, and experience shows that without marine reserves it is difficult for small-scale fishing to survive. In the reserves there are more fish, they are larger, there are abundant species that are scarce outside these areas, and catches are greater in quantity and quality," Grau pointed out.

The marine reserves have also established themselves as an important reference point for tourist diving, with a constant increase in the number of dives per year and in the income of the companies involved in this activity. In this respect, the Director General of Fisheries emphasized that "in marine reserves the fish are no longer elusive to human presence, so that in addition to the attraction of the underwater landscape and the characteristic transparency of the waters of the Balearic Islands, there is the possibility of seeing large fish that behave in a trusting and even friendly manner".