It has been an intense summer in the Balearic Sea. But that’s nothing new. Well, maybe it is. What is certainly new is that the debate about overcrowding on land and excesses at sea is more alive than ever. And when issues are brought into the public debate, we have the opportunity as a society to address and correct them. The demonstrations against overcrowding and the need to rethink our tourism model pushed the Balearic government to present the Sustainability Pact on 22 May. While this public recognition of the problem is welcome, it’s surprising they’re starting a process from scratch without taking into account proposals already on the table, such as the Balearic Blue Deal - a roadmap to improve the state of our coast and our sea - which has a broad consensus across Balearic society.
Overcrowding on land has reached the sea. The many organisations signed up to the Balearic Blue Deal have been warning for years about the need to bring order to the sea. In the end, it was a tragic, one-off event that had nothing to do with the character of the vast majority of sailors who love the sea that lit the fuse. The debate we held in early 2023 on the role the marine industry has to play in marine conservation carefully described the problems and provided possible solutions. The quality of the boating experience has been deteriorating for years. More boats. Less space. More noise. More jet skis. More loudspeakers polluting our beaches and coves. And more risk of spills and impacts due to anchoring.
Balearic society and many sailors have had enough. The creation of the nautical table that the Balearic government constituted this summer aims to respond to some of these challenges. But what should be good news has started off on the wrong foot. The Conselleria del Mar has not had the courage to invite organisations working for marine conservation to be part of the nautical table, yet they are precisely those who have done most to denounce the problem. This political mistake sends a signal as wrong as it is worrying.
The nautical sector can be a great ally for marine conservation. Within this broad and diverse sector, yacht clubs, ports, and marinas play a very important role. They are the doors to the sea for an important part of the Balearic citizenship who enjoy sailing and fishing.
Although history shows that the sector’s position in creating marine reserves and marine natural parks has not favoured the creation of marine protected areas, the dialogue we have had with representatives of yacht clubs over the years shows that something is changing.
Working together, we can bring order to the sea.
ANIOL ESTEBAN - Director
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