Divers from the Guardia Civil managed to recover the body of a drowned man, entangled in an illegal net off Playa El Tesorillo, Almuñécar, Costa Tropical.

The recovery operation began in the early hours of Sunday the 14th with the Salvamento Marítimo (Maritime Rescue), ending in the intervention of the divers at 10.45h. When the S.M. tried to recover the body, which was floating about two metres below the surface, the net sank to a depth that necessitated the use of divers with breathing apparatus.

The actual drowning of the 50-year-old victim from Jayena occurred just past midnight, which was when the his nephew alerted the emergency services. He explained that he had lost sight of his uncle just off Playa El Tesorillo.

Consequently, the Guardia Civil has begun an investigation to find out who put the illegal net down, which consisted of 200 metres of trammel netting: a rectangular net made of a middle layer that is slack and of fine mesh and two outer layers that are stretched and of coarse mesh, so arranged that fish attempting to pass in either direction carry some of the fine net through the coarse and are thus pocketed.

This incident has put the spotlight on illegal fishing practices along the coast, which is a long standing problem and one that has increased thanks to the economical crisis, so much so that there is almost a parallel market to the legal fish outlet via the municipal markets, etc.

So far this year, the Servicio de Inspección Pesquera belonging to the Junta de Andalucía has investigated 22 cases in one area of Almuñécar alone; Tesorillo-Velilla. The complaints that the service has received have come in from beach users and pleasure-craft owners that have come across the nets. In each of these 22 cases they have confiscated the illegal nets but as yet have not prosecuted anybody because it is so difficult to pin-point who they belong to. The Junta says that you literally have to catch them in the act of using the nets.

This kind of net is not illegal if used correctly; i.e., at least 200 metres from beach bathing areas, and of course, not in protected areas such as the seabed off El Tesorillo, where no legal fishermen fish. Another point is that legal nets are well marked to show their presence, whereas illegal ones, for obvious reasons, aren’t, which is what makes them so dangerous for swimmers.

With a death involved, the balance will probably tip against those that indulge in this illegal fishing practice, as more resources will be dedicated to eradicating them.

(News: Almunecar, Costa Tropical, Granada, Andalucia)