ARCHIVED - Storm Gloria brings sea bass and bream bonanza for anglers in Portmán

Hundreds of fishermen are catching up to 50 kilos each after fish farm cages were damaged two weeks ago

The destruction caused by Storm Gloria along the Mediterranean coast of Spain a couple of weeks ago spelled disaster for many agricultural concerns, including various fish farms where enclosures were torn away from their moorings and hundreds of thousands and fish were suddenly freed into the wild, but for anglers this has brought about an unmissable chance to enjoy abundant catches in the bay of Portmán, it is reported this week.

Gale-force winds and waves of up to 5 metres caused severe damage to at least four large cages or enclosures at fish farms in San Pedro del Pinatar and El Gorguel a fortnight ago, and as has been the case on several occasions in recent years the sea bream and gilthead bass released into the Mediterranean have made their way to Portmán. There to meet them on the Playa del Lastre are hundreds of fishermen, and similar scenes are reported at the beaches in the regional park of Calblanque and parts of La Manga del Mar Menor.

Their opportunism is understandable but their sheer numbers are a source of concern to the Town Hall of La Unión (the municipality where Portmán is located), not only because of the litter the anglers inevitably leave behind but also because their own safety could be at risk: much of the bay is still closed to road traffic due to the project to recover half of the bay from the in-fill containing sterile substances which blighted this part of the coastline during much of the 20^th century, despite the regeneration project having ground to a halt in April of last year.

In a similar episode following sabotage to the fish farm cages in 2016 the incoming tide of frenzied anglers forced the local police and the Guardia Civil to limit access by motor vehicle to the bay, and fines were imposed on anglers for allegedly breaking local and general fishing laws. That met with considerable resistance and there have been reports of fishermen refusing to abandon their posts on the beach and resisting officers of the Guardia Civil.

Others voicing their complaints, unsurprisingly, are the fishermen’s guilds of San Pedro del Pinatar and Cartagena, who allege that people selling sea bass and bream “door to door” are reducing demand in legitimate fish markets, bringing sale prices down to “ruinous” levels.

In addition, the escape of so many fish could prove to be extremely bad news for the traditional fishing grounds of the Costa Cálida, since the escaped bream are capable of eating three times their own body weight every day. The breeding season begins soon for species such as octopus, black drum and common dentex, and if the bream consume the eggs laid by these species future stocks could be in severe danger.

All of which seems unlikely to deter the anglers. Each of the cages which ran adrift during Storm Gloria contained between 300,000 and 350,000 young specimens, and in these conditions an experienced fishermen armed only with a rod, bait and good technique can net up to 50 kilos in a day!

Image 1: Culmárex

Image 2: Archive. Fishermen in Portmán Bay

For more local news, events and visiting information go to the Portmán section of Murcia Today.

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