The mayor of Yaiza, Óscar Noda, has announced that at the end of next month he will present a new study on the impact of the marine cages of Playa Quemada on the quality of bathing water and on the ecosystem of the area. "The preliminary conclusions are disastrous for the marine ecosystem and the underwater photographs are very revealing”, the mayor has advanced, who recalls that the 53 marine cages are still installed in front of the coast, despite the fact that the concession has already expired.
“We are a municipality that has supported aquaculture activity since 2001, that we did other studies on our own in 2016 and 2017, that we have made available to the island's fishing sector and the Cabildo of Lanzarote all the information, files and allegations made against the marine cages installed in Playa Quemada and that, of course, we have asked the Government of the Canary Islands to demand that the company that operates the cages cease its activity and allow the seabed to recover naturally, taking into account that the concession ended last August; but we have been left alone in this fight because neither the Cabildo pronounces itself forcefully nor do the entities that present themselves as defenders of the environment", questions Noda.
Therefore, he explains that with this new scientific study they intend to "reinforce" the City Council's position "to get the cages removed from Playa Quemada”.
According to the councilman, the investigation began last April with the NGO Innoceana and was divided into three phases. First, it addressed a historical and current analysis of the conditions that may affect the quality of the marine environment, and then continued with the preliminary study of the coastal area, including taking water samples and the possible presence of nutrients that may promote the appearance of harmful algae for bathing, as well as parasites and bacteria. These two phases were carried out in April.
Already in May, the work was focused on the underwater study of the areas adjacent to the marine cages with sampling of sediments and water. “Now we are in the last phase, the analysis of the samples in the laboratory, preliminary conclusions and final report, which we will present with compiled data and terrestrial and underwater images”, says the mayor of Yaiza, adding that the technicians who have prepared the study will attend the presentation.
In addition, he explains that the Yaiza City Council entrusted this work to Innoceana "for its track record and experience in environmental studies in Spain, Costa Rica and the United States".
