The Yaiza Ayuntamiento warns about Playa Quemada and the “great regression of the sea grass and accumulation of mud along the seabed.”.
Over 20 years of sea cage exploitation has had dire consequences in Playa Quemada, and the Yaiza Ayuntamiento have published a report to demonstrate this once again with its third published study – in hopes that the Canarian Government would finally adopt strong measures that would lead to the cessation of the activity.
After having read the newest report, commissioned from the NGO Innoceana, the Ayuntamiento have warned about “the great regression of the sea grass and accumulation of mud along the seabed.”. Mayor of Yaiza, Óscar Noda, announced “We are going to send the study to the Vice-Ministry of Fisheries and to all the necessary authorities, to see who will respond and who is on the side of the residents of Playa Quemada, who have been suffering the ravages of an uncontrolled activity for 20 years.”.
This Wednesday, the Casa de la Cultura in Yaiza hosted the presentation of the report, which was led by Innoceana environmentalist, Berta Felipe.
The sea grass found in Playa Quemada is in a state of regression, with a large coverage of cyanobacteria (decreasing sea grass growth) which suggests that there is an excess of nutrients in the area due to the bait used to catch fish, as well as animal excrement, which accelerates its growth.
“The sea grass is a marine plant that is an ally against climate change, as it produces oxygen, processes CO2, and It also helps promote clearer and more clean waters”, explained Felipe.
It is clear that the rapid growth of fishing cages continues to negatively impact Playa Quemada. Noda made the Ayuntamiento’s objective very clear, “What I hope is that we are taken notice of and that definitive measures are taken because there are protected species in these waters. The protection of our territory should not only be about what can be seen, but also what is along the seabed.”.
The study’s recommendations are clear: immediate cessation of fish farming in Playa Quemada and cleaning of the seabed is necessary.
Another area highlighted in the report is that under no circumstances can the contamination of the coastline be attributed to supposed sewage leaks. “You know that some government representative wanted to make fun of us and the people of Playa Quemada by saying that the seabed was not affected by the cages but by the seepage of sewage, so you know that this is false”, stated the Mayor.
You can read the full report here.
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