September 18, 2025
Protection works! Life coming back after Oceana campaign in the Menorca channel
Nestled between the Balearic Islands of Menorca and Mallorca in the Mediterranean Sea, the Menorca Channel spans 37km and is home to a wide range of species and habitats. Coralligenous beds, rhodolith beds, kelp forests and the rich wildlife that they support were, however, at risk, and Oceana kicked off a campaign to protect and restore them. An independent scientific study has now shown that our efforts worked!
The channel faced severe threats from bottom trawling, a destructive fishing method that involves dragging large heavy nets across the seafloor, to catch shrimps and fish such as monkfish, and hake that live on or near the sea bottom. This non-selective fishing gear not only disrupts marine life but also causes significant damage to fragile habitats and disrupts the ecological balance. Commercial fish and other species that depend on these habitats for spawning, shelter, nurseries, protection and food, may also disappear.
Oceana’s research
In response to these threats, Oceana launched a decade-long campaign to protect the Menorca Channel. Between 2006 and 2008, extensive research using Remote Operated Vehicles (ROVs) and divers to document the area’s ecological value was conducted. The findings revealed vast underwater forests and maërl beds, fragile ecosystems in urgent need of protection.
Oceana’s advocacy efforts culminated in a formal proposal submitted in 2013 to Spain’s Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Environment, urging stronger protections for the channel. After four years of persistent campaigning, the Spanish government responded in 2016 by declaring a fisheries restricted area spanning nearly 2,000km². This included a ban on bottom trawling and other harmful fishing methods in waters between 50 and 100m deep.
Recovery in the Menorca Channel
Today, nine years later, science confirms that these protections are working. The Spanish Institute of Oceanography has documented the recovery and expansion of coralligenous habitats, maërl beds, and algae forests, directly linked to the ban on bottom trawling.
A Recovery under threat
This proves that banning bottom trawling is an effective method in safeguarding marine life and sustaining artisanal, low impact fisheries. Furthermore, as human impact continues to threaten marine ecosystems globally, the Menorca Channel stands as a model for how targeted protection and long-term commitment can not only protect but also help restore biodiversity.
However, this progress is now under threat. The Balearic government has proposed changes to the management of the fishing marine reserve in an area known as “Els Mollets” which could directly affect the Menorca Channel MPA. This move represents a rollback of previous protections, and a direct breach of the EU Mediterranean Regulation that prohibits bottom trawling in sensitive habitats such as maerl beds and kelp forests within designated protected areas. If allowed, reversing these protections risks undoing years of recovery causing renewed damage to the seabed. The proposed changes are a reminder that defending existing protections is an ongoing effort, not a one-time win.
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