5000 CROAKERS LIBERATED IN BALEARIC SEA IN PALMA BAY

• Thanks to this scientific project 15000 corakers have been liberated since 2008, and over 200 recovered

• Recreational and comertial fishermen colaboration is essential, because the project succes depends on the study of recovered fish

Mallorca, 6th August 2012. 5000 junior croakers (Argyrosomus regius) came back to the Balearic Sea this morning thanks to the scientific project to recovery of species, which is developed by IMEDEA (Mediterranean Institute for Advanced Studies, CSIC-UIB) together with LIMIA (Marine and Aquaculture Research Laboratory, Rural and Marine General Direction, Government from Balearic Islands).

The 5000 specimen liberation event was attended by Prime Minister of the Balearic Islands, Jose Ramon Bauza, the Minister of Agriculture, Environment and Territory, Gabriel Company and the Director of the IMEDEA, Beatriz Morales. Also the main director of Rural and Marine environment, Margaret Mercadal and the deputy mayor of Environment of Palma Council, Andreu Garau have attended to the event.

At LIMIA these junior specimens have been bred in captivity from wild broodstock croakers and prepared to go back to the sea at just 3 years old and 6-8 grams heavy. This specie disappear officially from our sea circa 60s.

Croaker is a high commercial value specie threatened with extinction at the Balearic Islands. As the Primer Minister Bauçà said, “these kind of projects are aimed at increasing the production of a species nearly extinct, which is very important for fishermen and traders. All of us from the Government come to support the restocking”.

IMEDEA is involved in these programs as Dr. Miquel Palmer has informed, “there are three scientific objectives of this croakers marking, liberation and recovery campaign: to know their movement patterns, their growth rate at the natural environment and to assess the profit of these restocking and the chances that the croaker may forma an explotaible population for both kind of fishermen, recreational and comercial.

Therefore, we ask fishermen who capture croakers for call the number on the fish mark, on the triptych or on the information posters, in order to recover the captured specimens mark. We would appreciate that fishermen could provide some data (place, date, kind of fishing, depth, wieght and size of the specimen).

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