Warmer waters and predators to blame
Algarve fishermen are concerned by a scarcity of sardines. It is not that the fish synonymous with Portugal have disappeared, more that they are being pushed further from the coast and are more difficult to catch.
The reason, says Correio da Manhã, is a combination of warmer coastal waters (sardines like colder temperatures) and an increased number of predators, namely dolphin and orca.
Last year, the Algarve’s largest fishing cooperative, Olhãpesca, captured 824 tonnes of sardines, “roughly half the amount of the year before. The value, in terms of sale prices, barely reached €1 million”, adds the paper.
Miguel Cardoso, president of Olhãopesca, explains: “Sardines are being pushed away by the warmer waters and the presence of predators like orcas and dolphins”.
In 2021, a national study concluded that the European sardine (Sardina pilchardus) was migrating northwards, in the direction of Norway, “because of the temperature of the water.
“This species is particularly vulnerable to climatic variability as their body temperature is regulated by the temperature of the water, and they have high energetic and metabolic requirements”, said investigators.
Those that remain in Portuguese waters grow faster (because of the warmer temperatures) but don’t get ‘so big’ or carry as much fat as connoisseurs like. As result, they don’t cook quite so well.
Marine biologist Carolina Madeira has told CNN that it is “obvious” that climate change will affect traditional delicacies – not just sardines, but sea bream as well.
And with the warmer waters more predators are venturing closer to the coast.
But there is ‘good news’ (for those who can accept alternatives). There are plentiful supplies of mackerel and horse mackerel (carapau and cavala) . According to provisional data from the DGRN (general directorate of natural resources), Algarve fishermen caught 18% more fish, all told, in 2023 than in 2022.
