The Criminal Court No. 3 of Arrecife (Lanzarote) has issued a conviction against citizen H.H. as "criminally responsible for a crime against Flora and Fauna of fishing protected species," provided for and punishable under Article 334.1 of the Penal Code. The sentence, which is final and against which no ordinary appeal can be filed, dictates three years of special disqualification from exercising the right to fish and hunt, a penalty of 18 months' fine with a daily rate of 8 euros, and payment of court costs.
The Canary environmental association ADACIS filed a complaint in November 2023 with the Nature Protection Service of the Civil Guard (SEPRONA) in Lanzarote against a poacher, after becoming aware of the capture and dismemberment (published at that time on social media) of at least one specimen of Angelshark (Squatina squatina), a critically endangered species strictly protected by Canary, state, European, and international legislation.
This is the second conviction in which ADACIS participates as a private prosecutor against illegal fishing activities of protected marine species, following the one obtained in November 2023 against a citizen who promoted the fishing of various protected species of rays and sharks in Lanzarote as an international tourist attraction.
The recent sentence, issued this December after a two-year judicial process, establishes that "the accused proceeded to capture an Angel Shark (Squatina squatina), on the coast of Lanzarote, judicial district of Arrecife, a capture that is prohibited, knowing that by doing so he was contravening the regulatory provisions for the special protection of said species. Specifically, in contravention of ORDER ARM/1647/2009, ORDER ARM/2689/2009, ORDER AAA/658/2014, EU Regulation 123/2020, EU Regulation 40/2013, and the Spanish Catalog of Threatened Species, which prohibit its capture as they are protected species in danger of extinction and not included among those for which capture is permitted in recreational sea fishing."
ADACIS positively values this ruling because it constitutes a positive and relevant legal precedent for Canary Islands society as a whole, its public and private institutions, and for the effective protection of the islands' vulnerable marine biodiversity and its most endangered species. "The repeated efforts, investments, and work promoted by multiple island administrations responsible for ensuring the effective conservation of these animals, and the extensive scientific studies by universities and non-governmental organizations to prevent the extinction of the Angel Shark in the archipelago, cannot be harmed in any way by the attitude of irresponsible individuals who threaten the lives of these animals, gravely damaging the Canary Islands' natural heritage," they state.
The life of a single specimen of the Angelshark can be decisive for the survival of the species in the Canary Islands, a species that plays an essential role in the marine and coastal ecological ecosystem, and whose presence contributes to the islands' economy through observation for recreational underwater activities by numerous diving centers.
ADACIS states that this sentence "constitutes a further step in the essential protection of the Angelshark and other protected marine species that are also frequently subject to illegal fishing in the Canary Islands". The environmental association recalls that "fighting against the impunity of practices harmful to the marine nature of the islands requires the firm involvement of public and private institutions and of citizens themselves, who are encouraged to report any similar incidents detected on any of the islands to the competent authorities".
The conservation association expresses its "recognition and gratitude for the formidable work of SEPRONA of Lanzarote in nature conservation".
