Sperm whales are one of those fascinating species that swim in our seas of which we are not sufficiently aware. This spring they have been the focus of several news stories related to the proposal Asociación Tursiops (Tursiops Association) presented to the Ministry of Ecological Transition calling for the protection of a sperm whale breeding area in the north of Menorca.
The proposal is currently being studied by the Ministry and we hope it will be approved by the Spanish government soon. On 8 April, all the political parties in the Congress and the Senate – except for Vox – asked the Spanish government to declare this zone a marine protected area. Curiously, a few days earlier, this same proposal was defeated in the Balearic Parliament because the PP and VOX voted against it. A distraction? Or a lack of commitment to the Balearic Sea?
We hope that Madrid will move forward with the declaration of the reserve proposed by Tursiops. We also hope it finally declares the three marine reserves of fishing interest in the South of Formentera, North of Mallorca, and the outer waters of Tagomago and Islotes de Poniente in Ibiza, which have been requested for more than ten years by the Parliament of the Balearic Islands.
We often forget how we got here. All this has been possible thanks to the dedication, commitment, and good work of the Tursiops Association, led by Txema Brotons and Marga Cerdà. They have spent more than two decades studying the populations of sperm whales and other cetaceans such as bottlenose dolphins in Balearic waters, analysing their distribution, threats, and behaviours.
Tursiops is a small association that protects the giants of the sea. It is an example of the important role that third-sector organisations play in advancing marine conservation in our islands and beyond.
In 2015, the associations and foundations in the Balearic Islands had only eight people working on marine issues. Today, that figure is over 50. That’s good progress, but still a long way from what is desirable and necessary.
At Marilles, we have done our bit; Tursiops was the first project we funded. We also reinforce the work of many other organisations in the archipelago through funding, training, and facilitating strategic coordination that allows the few resources that exist in this brave, hard-working, committed sector to have the maximum impact in terms of improving our marine environment.
These and other issues have been the focus of much of the discussions with Marilles and the Mediterranean donor foundations we hosted this April in Mallorca. The meeting once again highlighted both the great opportunities that exist in the Balearic Islands to advance marine conservation and the fact that the financial commitment of local companies, families, and foundations, for the moment – with very few exceptions – is practically zero.
Aniol Esteban - Director
