Background The port of Pobra do Caramiñal is one of the main destinations for frozen tuna in Spain. Approximately 100,000 tonnes are unloaded annually. Thus the port is the important through-point for great numbers of enormous freezer boats. Additionally, it is home to a fresh fish and mussel cultivation fleet. Beyond these traditional commercial activities, the port provides facilities for nautical sports that were extended in 2004 in order to provide dockage to 271 sport crafts. At the port for some time, there had been a low level of recycling of waste, problems with the water quality due to maintenance of the ships and the ejection of wastewater, unsustainable use of energy and resources, and a highly negative impact on the environment as a result of accidents. All these problems were compounded by the fact that, in the fishing and the leisure ports of Galicia, there had never been coherent or integrated environmental management. Additionally, as is common with ports around the world, attempts at a reduction in the environmental impact of port activities were not incorporated into daily port routines. Objectives The principal aim of this project was to improve the environmental management (and thereby the environment) of a commercial, fishing and leisure port by implementing the Eco-Management and Audit Scheme (EMAS). The project aimed to use the port of A Pobra do Caramiñal as a pilot port for EMAS implementation that would demonstrate the applicability of EMAS to fishing and leisure ports at both the Spanish national and European levels. Results As the beneficiary is a public body, it was subject to complex legal regulations affecting the tendering procedure for sub-contractors. This resulted in a number of delays in infrastructure developments. Most notably these were in the areas of “eco-points” (for the central waste collection and separation), boats’ external maintenance areas and local improvements for parking. As a consequence, although EMAS was implemented and up and running, the port of A Pobra do Caramiñal was not officially registered as of the official termination of the LIFE project. Thus, near-term actions to achieve EMAS registration will happen even outside the framework of the LIFE Project and registration should occur soon. Despite this, the results were in line with the original objectives. The project’s main objective, EMAS implementation at the port, was indeed achieved. EMAS implementation is a complex issue for ports, as it affects all the port's multifarious activities. Indeed, in most cases there were legal regulations that required the request and delivery of legal authorisations, permits, licences and other documents from different public bodies, and sometimes it was difficult to get them quickly. Therefore ports that are interested in EMAS implementation, particularly those with similar characteristics to the beneficiary, need to take into account all of the above. Galicia’s coastal zones are currently experiencing radical structural changes, not least regarding the fishing industry. By incorporating environmental impact reduction into port activities, this project not only introduced EMAS to a new area of activity but also contributed to a more sustainable development that managed to minimise the negative consequences of the structural changes and prepare the ports for future challenges.