Pollença Bay on Mallorca is set to have a regulated buoy field installed. The Balearic Islands Government hopes this will help to organise mooring in this heavily frequented area and better protect sensitive coastal areas. Meanwhile, further buoy fields are also being prepared on the other Balearic Islands.
A new regulated buoy field is to be created in Pollença Bay on Mallorca. The relevant port authority, PortsIB, intends to put the technical planning out to tender first. The project will then be submitted to the Spanish Ministry of the Environment to apply for the necessary transfer of the water area. No specific date has yet been set for the scheme to come into operation.
The area between La Gola and the military airfield has been earmarked for this purpose. In future, the buoy field there is intended to organise the currently unregulated mooring areas. According to the Balearic Islands Government, the area is subject to particularly heavy pressure from recreational boating during the summer months.
Three new projects planned for Mallorca
Pollença is not the only area where PortsIB intends to reorganise the moorings. The authority is also planning to expand the buoy fields in Pollença, Sóller and Colònia de Sant Jordi. The three projects are to be pursued jointly and put out to tender.
The need for action was also evident in the inspections carried out this summer. In the coastal areas of Pollença, Formentor and Es Barcarès, twelve days of inspections were carried out, totalling 230 checks. There were 154 inspections relating to anchoring alone. A further 79 inspections were carried out during five operations to protect the Posidonia seagrass beds; two offences involving anchoring on Posidonia were identified.
Other buoy fields in the Balearic Islands
The system is also being expanded beyond Pollença. As things stand, four further buoy fields with particularly low-impact mooring systems are due to come into operation next summer: one off Menorca near Illa de l’Aire, and three off Ibiza near Porroig, Cala d’Hort and Talamanca. In addition, the Spanish Ministry of the Environment has commissioned the implementation of a further eight projects – two on Mallorca and six on Ibiza. However, these are not expected to be completed by next summer.
Stricter nationwide regulations now also apply to the planning of such installations. A Spanish decree issued in March 2026 imposes a general ban on anchoring in seagrass beds of Posidonia oceanica and Cymodocea nodosa. Only approved, particularly low-impact mooring systems, such as individual buoys or buoy fields, are permitted there. For new installations, factors such as the location, number and distribution of the buoys, as well as the load-bearing capacity of the respective area, must be assessed.
The Balearic Islands are planning more stringent rules
The development in Pollença is also linked to a wider initiative by the Balearic Islands Government. A public consultation on an action plan to protect the islands’ shallow marine areas has been underway since 10 September. This plan concerns not only Posidonia, but also other sensitive habitats such as Cymodocea nodosa, Zostera noltii and certain algal communities.
The proposed measures to manage environmental impact are particularly relevant to recreational boating: plans include, amongst other things, a review of existing anchorage sites, possible speed restrictions in shallow waters, and studies into the capacity limits of bays. According to the government, however, this will not automatically result in new, blanket bans; the measures are to be adapted to the specific conditions of each individual area.
This is also likely to mean that Pollença Bay will be subject to stricter regulation in future. However, it is not yet clear when the first buoys will actually be installed there or how many moorings will be created.
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Jill Grigoleit
Editor Travel