The Balearic rule
Governing: Decreto 25/2018, de 27 de julio (BOIB 93, 28 Jul 2018), arts. 2, 4, 7 and 13. Builds on: L1.1.
The core prohibition
Article 7.1 is one sentence: queda prohibido, con carácter general, el fondeo de embarcaciones sobre Posidonia oceanica. Anchoring any boat on Posidonia is prohibited as a general rule, anywhere in waters within the Balearic Government's competence. There is no size threshold, no season and no exception for "just lunch".
The rest of article 7 fills in the detail:
| Art. | Rule |
|---|---|
| 7.2 | Over a meadow you may only moor to an authorised low-impact system: a single buoy (boya unitaria) or a buoy field (campo de boyas). No buoys at all may be placed on "high-value" meadows (Annex 1.1). |
| 7.2 | Inside a buoy field you must use the buoys, or the sand areas that the field's project marks out. Never anchor directly on the meadow there. |
| 7.3 | Where meadows are nearby, the chain or any other ground tackle must not affect them. |
| 7.4 | Pumping bilges or discharging waste inside a buoy field is an aggravating circumstance. |
| 7.5 | The anchoring rules do not apply in force majeure or danger to life or navigation, nor to authorised scientific or protected-area management work. |
Definitions worth knowing
- Fondeo de bajo impacto (art. 2.1.e): a fixed mooring designed so its mechanical effect on the bottom is minimal or nil.
- Fondeo incontrolado (art. 2.1.g): anchoring that, individually or en masse, breaches Posidonia protection rules. Art. 4.2.a lists it among prohibited actions; art. 4.3 says use of authorised buoys is not "uncontrolled".
- Praderas de alto valor (art. 2.1.b): barrier reefs (altines) or meadows in outstanding condition, listed in Annex 1.1.
- Praderas a regular (art. 2.1.c): degraded or heavily used meadows listed in Annex 1.2, where buoy fields may be installed. Until they are, transitional provision 2 allows anchoring only on the sand there.
Where the decree sits
In protected areas and Natura 2000 sites the area's own management plan applies where it is stricter; the decree applies subsidiarily (additional provision 2). So a park plan (L5.3) can add rules, but cannot make anchoring on Posidonia acceptable. Vigilance falls to the Balearic environment directorates and the environmental agents (art. 12), without prejudice to state, island council and municipal powers.
WARNING — Force majeure is narrow Art. 7.5 covers genuine danger to life or the vessel. A rising breeze that makes the sand patch uncomfortable is a reason to leave, not a reason to drop on the meadow. If you do anchor on Posidonia to save the vessel, log the time, position and reason, and move as soon as it is safe.
Sanctions in one line
Art. 13 makes any breach an offence under Ley 42/2007 art. 80 and the Balearic protected-areas law (Ley 5/2005). It expressly includes "alteration of the habitat by anchoring", and says the area of meadow affected is a key factor when grading the fine. Details in L2.3.
TIP — The chain clause Art. 7.3 was already there in 2018: the chain must not touch nearby meadow. The 2026 state decree (L2.2) says the same thing more explicitly, naming swinging. Neither is new; enforcement is.