Environment: The Balearic Islands get serious: penalties for incorrect anchoring

For years, the government of the Balearic Islands has been trying to protect the Posidonia seagrass meadows at the bottom of the anchor bays. They are biologically extremely important nurseries for many species of fish and shellfish, protect the beaches from erosion and also convert carbon dioxide into oxygen. The problem is that yachts anchored over this type of bottom tear 40 or 50 centimetre-wide furrows in the dense seagrass fields with their anchors and chains, which drag across the bottom as they move. The wounds at the bottom close extremely slowly: the roots close such gaps again at a growth rate of only around one millimetre per year. Many bays that used to be densely overgrown with seagrass are now virtually dead at the bottom, as thousands of anchors plough through the seabed every season. There is hardly any life left on the bare sandy bottom that remains, which many sailors love for its bright turquoise colour.

For this reason, the rule that yachts may not anchor in such seaweed fields has long applied explicitly off the Balearic Islands, but also around Sardinia and Corsica and theoretically even for the entire Mediterranean via EU law. To this end, buoy fields were set up around the islands many years ago with the help of EU subsidies, and a general ban on anchoring in seagrass beds was imposed. Skippers are now only allowed to deploy the iron over the light turquoise sandy areas.

However, many sailors around Mallorca have not complied with the bans. This is why the Ministry of the Environment has massively stepped up controls this year. The result: around 86,000 crews were caught violating the rules, according to Martin Muth, author of Portbook Balearen and Mallorca expert for the Cruiser division of the DSV reported. As a result, 8500 yachts had to change berths or leave the harbour altogether.

If it is environmental officers who discover a yacht anchored incorrectly, the crew only has to move the yacht, but if the Guardia Civil catches the sailors, the officers can impose fines, the amount of which depends on the damage caused to the bottom. Skippers should therefore choose their anchorage with care. Information on reserving and paying for a mooring is available from the Website of the buoy fields, Further information about the seagrass meadows on a Information sheet of the Ministry of the Environment.