Northen Marine Reserve

The Minorcan Northern Marine Reserve is a sea space with a great life diversity. The Reserve was created in 1999 with the aim of guaranteeing the preservation of marine species and the sustainable development of the area. The reserve reaches an extension of 5199 hectares of sea, the largest amongst the Balearic Islands; stretching from Fornells bay until Cape Gros including the Punta de Morter and the Porros island, where surprisingly goats live and survive there.

The area is very well preserved and outstands for the enormous natural interest and the beautiful landscapes. There is a special protected area between Cala Barril and Pta. De Mar. This area, of about forty metres deep, is of high biological importance for the reproduction and preservation of sea species such as the lobster or the sea bass.

The reserve often offers the nice surprise of witnessing the cormorants swimming, as well as fish species such as the hammer shark.

It is worth mentioning the reef barrier of posidonia at Sa nitja and the extending rocky areas where species like the red coral, shellfish and other crustaceous live.

On the other hand, the impressive Fornells bay offers a series of particular ecological characteristics, due to the important presence of marine phanerogamous communities, as well as sea weeds with rhizoid systems.

Recent studies have reached the count of 628 species of sea weed, fish and shellfish, as well as 35 different biological communities.