Hundreds of fish die as lagoon starts to dry up

Hundreds of fish have died at the Foz do Almargem lagoon in Quarteira, which has started to dry up as it is practically cut off from any other water source. Environmentalists are blaming the problem on “lack of action from local and regional authorities”.

Green organisation Almargem says that though many proposals have been presented by environmental groups to carry out conservation work at the lagoon, the bids have always been ignored or rejected by official entities.

In a statement, it accuses Loulé council of “never wanting to seriously deal with this problem” despite having had many chances and means to do so.

Almargem says the council decided, in a 2009 debate, that the lagoon was “legally protected well enough” by the current municipal masterplan (PDM) and Vilamoura-VRSA coastal plan (POOC).

It adds that, at the time, “a large part of the land had been bought by the controversial businessman Aprígio Santos who planned to build a tourist development there”.

The association says the “years go by, and though Foz do Almargem hasn’t yet been irreversibly destroyed, nothing is done to avoid the degradation of its habitats”.

On a closing note, Almargem calls on Loulé council and other entities to “create, present and implement” a plan to recover Foz do Almargem and turn it into a “true natural attraction”.