226
R. De la Cruz Modino and J.J. Pascual-Fernández
At present, there are three MPAs with the label “Marine Reserves with Fishing
Interest ” and one area designated as “Fishing reserve ” . All were created under the
full responsibility of regional governments. However, national and regional governments have recognized the “ fi shing interests” of a number of MRs created by the
State or under a regime of shared responsibility. The selection of protected areas
speci fi ed in Table 12.1 comprises all those that are explicitly linked with artisanal
fi sheries, either in their label or in public discourse.
The label “Marine Reserves with Fishing Interest” is not included in the aforementioned national legal de fi nition, but this is a special condition assumed by the
State in the public discourse. The fi sh-restocking goal is expressed in the national
legal de fi nitions that prompted the establishment of MRs in Spain. It is therefore
highly likely that the fi sheries administration, as being responsible for promoting
the initial MRs, was aiming for the involvement of the artisanal fi shing sector in its
creation and functioning. Marine conservation in Spain has strong ties with fi sheries
administration for a long time, and not with environmental administration—until
recently.
La Restinga and the Sea of Calms Case Study
The village of La Restinga is located on the southwest coast of the island of El
Hierro in the archipelago of the Canaries. This is the main fi shing community on the
island, and the location of the island’s only cofradía .
The Canary Islands are a region of Spain, located around 100 km west of the
Saharan Coast of Northwest Africa and 1,500 km south of the Spanish mainland.
There are seven islands and four islets, covering a total surface area of 7,446.95 km
2 .
Tenerife is the largest island (2,034.38 km
2
) and El Hierro is the smallest (268.71 km
2 )
(Fig. 12.1 ).
6 The economy of the Canary Islands depends signi fi cantly on tourism,
especially since the 1960s, when a combination of speci fi c policy decisions at
regional and national levels during the Franco dictatorship, in conjunction with the
changing nature of tourism on a wider scale, precipitated the massive build-up of
tourism infrastructure along the arid coastal plains in the south of each island
(Bianchi 2004 ) . At present, tourism income represents roughly 30% of the Gross
Domestic Product (GDP) of the Archipelago, while the service sector as a whole
reaches 77% of the GDP.
7 More than ten million tourists visit the Canaries every
year, while the permanent population only slightly exceeds two million inhabitants.
8
6 Source: Institute of Statistics of the Canary Islands, see http://www2.gobiernodecanarias.org/
istac/estadisticas.html
7 Source: Economic and Social Council of the Canary Islands: Annual rapport: http://www.cescanarias.org/?q=informes_anuales
8 Data from 2009 retrieved December 12, 2000 from http://www2.gobiernodecanarias.org/istac/
estadisticas.html
R. De la Cruz Modino and J.J. Pascual-Fernández
At present, there are three MPAs with the label “Marine Reserves with Fishing
Interest ” and one area designated as “Fishing reserve ” . All were created under the
full responsibility of regional governments. However, national and regional governments have recognized the “ fi shing interests” of a number of MRs created by the
State or under a regime of shared responsibility. The selection of protected areas
speci fi ed in Table 12.1 comprises all those that are explicitly linked with artisanal
fi sheries, either in their label or in public discourse.
The label “Marine Reserves with Fishing Interest” is not included in the aforementioned national legal de fi nition, but this is a special condition assumed by the
State in the public discourse. The fi sh-restocking goal is expressed in the national
legal de fi nitions that prompted the establishment of MRs in Spain. It is therefore
highly likely that the fi sheries administration, as being responsible for promoting
the initial MRs, was aiming for the involvement of the artisanal fi shing sector in its
creation and functioning. Marine conservation in Spain has strong ties with fi sheries
administration for a long time, and not with environmental administration—until
recently.
La Restinga and the Sea of Calms Case Study
The village of La Restinga is located on the southwest coast of the island of El
Hierro in the archipelago of the Canaries. This is the main fi shing community on the
island, and the location of the island’s only cofradía .
The Canary Islands are a region of Spain, located around 100 km west of the
Saharan Coast of Northwest Africa and 1,500 km south of the Spanish mainland.
There are seven islands and four islets, covering a total surface area of 7,446.95 km
2 .
Tenerife is the largest island (2,034.38 km
2
) and El Hierro is the smallest (268.71 km
2 )
(Fig. 12.1 ).
6 The economy of the Canary Islands depends signi fi cantly on tourism,
especially since the 1960s, when a combination of speci fi c policy decisions at
regional and national levels during the Franco dictatorship, in conjunction with the
changing nature of tourism on a wider scale, precipitated the massive build-up of
tourism infrastructure along the arid coastal plains in the south of each island
(Bianchi 2004 ) . At present, tourism income represents roughly 30% of the Gross
Domestic Product (GDP) of the Archipelago, while the service sector as a whole
reaches 77% of the GDP.
7 More than ten million tourists visit the Canaries every
year, while the permanent population only slightly exceeds two million inhabitants.
8
6 Source: Institute of Statistics of the Canary Islands, see http://www2.gobiernodecanarias.org/
istac/estadisticas.html
7 Source: Economic and Social Council of the Canary Islands: Annual rapport: http://www.cescanarias.org/?q=informes_anuales
8 Data from 2009 retrieved December 12, 2000 from http://www2.gobiernodecanarias.org/istac/
estadisticas.html