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Palma Aquarium Foundation is involved in social and environmental projects, but when it comes to marine conservation, we are all responsible. Indeed, this joint task of working to conserve vulnerable species cannot fall to just one sector of society.
The aim of the Palma Aquarium Foundation is to bring about improvements to the work carried out by everyone related to the sea. Progress is only possible if we all work together to protect the environment! All organisations, regardless of their professional sector, can make some kind of contribution, which does not necessarily have to be of an economic nature.
Balearic Islands Federation of Fishing Guilds
As guardians of the sea, the men and women that work in the fishing sector play an essential role in detecting and reporting wounded or sick animals, thereby contributing to their rescue and recovery, together with the efforts of the Palma Aquarium Foundation experts at the Balearic Islands Centre for Marine Wildlife Recovery.
Early this year, the Palma Aquarium Foundation launched a campaign in collaboration with the Balearic Islands Federation of Fishing Guilds in order to share and ensure collaboration, joining forces for the good of the Balearic Sea. One of the initial results of this campaign was a young nursehound shark, marking another step forward in the “Petits Taurons –Stellaris Action” project. This young male specimen became accidentally caught up in a trammel net and is currently recovering at the Palma Aquarium facilities. It will later join the breeding programme aimed at restoring the stocks of this species. To date, 61 specimens have been released in various areas off the shores of the island of Mallorca.
Close collaboration with the fishing communities leads to major actions in favour of the marine environment, building up relations of trust and friendship that have forged a consolidated alliance.
Diving centres in the Balearic Islands
Another of the Palma Aquarium Foundation’s projects is to encourage diving centres to get involved in this collaboration. These entities can provide information about the biodiversity they observe during their dives and collect specific data in graphic format about these species. The aim is to unify criteria and sightings in order to obtain a clearer picture regarding the distribution and stocks of vulnerable species.
We wish to thank the members of the fishing sector for their willingness to collaborate; without them, many of our conservation efforts would not be possible. In recognition of their invaluable contribution, the Palma Aquarium Foundation is offering collaborators and their families the opportunity to visit Palma Aquarium to discover close-up the animals they have helped to save.
Here at Palma Aquarium, we believe strongly in the power of collaboration and know that caring for our seas is a task that falls to us all. For this reason, we wish to join forces and work together to protect and conserve our oceans. Every action we carry out can make a real difference to the future of our marine environment!
