The Civil Guard caught this past weekend a person who was underwater fishing in the surroundings of the Islote de Lobos, in the area of Las Salinas, and who captured 27 kilos of octopus. The events took place on Sunday, July 14, in this area where underwater fishing is not allowed.
The Provincial Maritime Service of the Civil Guard, in the exercise of its functions of surveillance of the territorial sea, is constantly carrying out monitoring and surveillance operations to control that both professional and recreational fishermen comply with the regulations in force. Therefore, the SMP located on July 14 carried out surveillance on the Islote de Lobos, which resulted in the location in the area of a fisherman who was using a wheelbarrow to transport the underwater fishing suit, weights, fins, and catches.
Once identified, it was verified that the aforementioned person had captured 27 kg of octopus, of which 6.65 kilograms, 18 pieces, were immature. The captured fish was seized and weighed in the Fishermen's Association of Corralejo, which was later delivered to a charity center in the town of Corralejo.
The agents have highlighted that the minimum catch weight for octopus is one kilogram. In this case, it has stated that the main reported facts are: carrying out underwater fishing in a prohibited area, capturing octopuses of sizes smaller than allowed, and capturing an amount of fish per person, in the recreational fishing modality, more than double the maximum daily limit.
Collaboration, capture and monitoring
This operation was carried out after analyzing the information provided by citizens about illegal fishing on the Islote de Lobos and with the collaboration of the Government of the Canary Islands, through its game warden services for the environmental monitoring and surveillance of the LIC and the marine ZEC of the Canary Islands belonging to the Ministry of Ecological Transition and Energy, which has been co-financed by the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF).
Legislation
Currently, recreational fishing in inland waters is regulated in Law 17/2003, of April 10, on Fishing in the Canary Islands. Infringements of the provisions of this Law will be sanctioned in accordance with the provisions of Chapter IV. In Chapter II, article 70.4.e) of the Fishing Law of the Canary Islands, the capture of an amount of fish per person, in the recreational fishing modality, exceeding twice the maximum daily limit, is reflected as a serious infraction. Likewise, the capture and possession of species smaller than their regulatory weight or size and fishing in prohibited areas are serious infractions included in the aforementioned Law.
The possible sanctions faced by the defendant are included in article 76 of the aforementioned Law 17/2003, in its section b), which states that: “Serious infractions will be sanctioned with a fine of 301 to 60,000 euros".
