Recreational boaters support the use of mooring buoys to reduce anchor damage to Posidonia oceanica (L.) Delile meadows

Recreational boating is an important economic activity in the Mediterranean Sea that
often leads to disturbance by anchoring of Posidonia oceanica meadows, an endemic
seagrass that is a critical component of shallow coastal ecosystems. A selfadministered
survey of recreational boaters that anchor in a popular mooring site
(Cala Blava) in the coast of Mallorca (Balearic Islands, Western Mediterranean) was
carried out during the summer season of 2011 to assess their preferences regarding
the number of boats anchoring at the cove and the distance between them, their
willingness to pay for the use of mooring buoys and their perception of the negative
effects that recreational boating may have on the marine environment. Four hundred
and twenty five surveys were obtained over a period of 23 days (11 weekend days,
14 week days) with a response rate of 95 %. The number of boats anchored was
higher during weekends (30 ± 13 boats) than during the rest of the week (15 ± 5
boats). Most of the respondents considered that both the number of anchored boats
and distance between them were adequate, and they were satisfied with their visit to
Cala Blava. Anchor damage was identified as the main impact caused in the marine
environment by recreational boating. Support for the use of mooring buoys was high
(72 %) and 58 % of boaters were willing to pay a fee for buoy use. The most widely
accepted fee was 5 Euros per day of use. These results suggest that the public is well
aware of the damage caused by anchoring on P. oceanica meadows and that
environmental regulation that would reduce this harm through the use of mooring
buoys would have wide support from the main users, who would be even willing to
pay for the service. This is a bright prospect for the conservation of this valuable and
fragile coastal ecosystem.