After a month of restrictions from fishing (allowing fishing grounds to recuperate) Motril trawlers were out only to find the seabed littered with rubbish.

The reason is that the string of wet fronts has filled rivers and barrancos, carrying down all sorts of debris, from vegetation to plastic bottles and other manmade material.

In fact, there has been so much rain that fishermen have come across entire trees floating in the sea, turning fishing trips into more of a cleanup task to prevent net damage than actually fishing.

Not all of Motril’s trawler fleet, of which there are a dozen boat, went out to fish; only three actually went out. This was because of the choppy seas.

During the enforced ban on fishing, shipowners took advantage of the inactivity to carry out extensive vessel overhauls, spending between €5,000 and €10,000 per boat on efficiency upgrades like LED lighting and engine maintenance, for example.

However, despite losses during winter storms, Costa Tropical boat owners were excluded from some federal aid packages due to not meeting specific loss thresholds, although the Junta has pledged local support.

(News: Motril, Costa Tropical, Granada, Andalucia – Photo/Source:  MJ Arrebola)

Keywords: Storms Leave Seabed Debris, Trawlers, Fishing Grounds, Biological Moratorium

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