The Guardia Civil located and retrieved 800 metres of illegal fishing nets off Almuñécar and Albuñol (La Rábita).

The netting is trammel net, which is a three-layered dragnet, designed so that fish entering through one of the large-meshed outer sections will push part of the finer-meshed central section through the large meshes on the far side, forming a pocket in which the fish is trapped. For this reason they are very dangerous for unaware bathers.

In the case of Almuñécar, the net was located just 20 metres off Playa del Altillo. The police also nabbed the rowing boat that the fishermen had been using to lay the net. The police believe that they have identified him and are in the process of charging him.

The other netting discovered was on a beach belonging to the municipality of Albuñol, where the Guardia Civil retrieved three separate nets, each 200 metres long.

Much of the coastline of the province of Granada is rugged, with plenty of cliffs and rocks, which makes it ideal for hiding illegal nets. The trouble is that the very illicit nature of the nets means that they are not marked by floats, meaning that if you are swimming, you may not realise that you have one below you until it is too late.

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