Public consultation on fishing in the surroundings of the Peñón de Ifac

The Department of Agriculture, Water, Livestock and Fisheries has opened the prior public consultation process for the draft order that will establish protection and control measures in part of the protected fishing interest zone number 5, between Cape San Antonio and the Algar River, in the surroundings of the Ifac rock. The announcement is published in the Official Gazette of the Generalitat Valenciana (DOGV) number 10469, dated October 13, 2026, and grants fifteen calendar days to submit contributions. The future regulation directly affects the fishing sector and the conservation of the Valencian coastline.

The announcement is based on Article 133.1 of Law 39/2015, of October 1, on the common administrative procedure of public administrations, and Articles 14 and 15 of Law 4/2023, of April 13, of the Generalitat, on citizen participation and the promotion of associations in the Valencian Community. The text appears in Section V, Announcements, subsection C) Other matters, and bears the signature of Miguel Francisco Castell Rovira, Director General of Fisheries, dated in Valencia on September 28, 2026.

A prior citizen participation process

This is a prior public consultation; that is, the step the Administration opens before definitively drafting the regulation to gather the opinions of citizens and the affected sectors. The draft order refers to a part of the protected fishing interest zone called zone 5, delimited between Cape San Antonio and the Algar River, in the surroundings of the Ifac rock.

The future order will establish protection and control measures in that marine area, according to the objective stated in the announcement itself. The initiative is part of the regulatory activity of the Department of Agriculture, Water, Livestock and Fisheries, the department to which the Directorate General of Fisheries reports.

Fifteen calendar days to submit allegations

The enabled period is fifteen calendar days and is counted from the day following the publication of the announcement in the DOGV, that is, from October 14, 2026. Contributions can be channeled through two routes:

• The GVA Participa portal, at the address https://gvaparticipa.gva.es/legislation/processes/758.
• The email address sgpa@gva.es.

In that same space of the portal, the documentation associated with the file can be consulted, which includes the background of the projected regulation, the problems that are intended to be solved, the necessity and opportunity of its approval, the objectives pursued, and possible alternative solutions to the regulatory project.

Zone 5: Cape San Antonio-Algar River

The scope of application is a part of the protected area of fishing interest classified as zone 5, whose perimeter extends between Cape San Antonio and the Algar River, in the surroundings of the Ifac rock. This is a marine enclave of relevance both for extractive activity and for the environmental values of the coastline.

The announcement does not yet detail the concrete content of the protection and control measures, which will be specified in the text of the order once the consultation period has closed and the contributions received have been assessed. The official reference of the announcement is DOGV-C-2026-31626.

The opening of this procedure gives a voice to fishers, guilds, conservation organizations, and citizens before the Generalitat establishes the rules of the game by order in a sensitive area of the coastline. The result will condition fishing activity in the surroundings of the Ifac rock and the degree of effective protection of its seabed; therefore, the fifteen-day period is the only available window to influence the content of the regulation.

Source: Diari Oficial de la Generalitat Valenciana, no. 10469, October 13, 2026, section V (Announcements), C) Other matters, page 1 (official reference: DOGV-C-2026-31626).