Shellfish dealers and fish nursery owners in Alvor and Mexilhoeira Grande have started a petition to stop the construction of a new fish breeding centre at Quinta da Rocha, claiming it will kill all that is left in the river.
Around 300 signatures from tourists, fishermen and other employees who work in the seafood and fish industry have been collected in a petition that will be handed to the Captaincy of the port of Portimão.
This is in response to the project requested by the company AquaRocha – Aquacultura e Turismo da Quinta da Rocha.
This aims to develop an area of 62 hectares on the western part of the Quinta da Rocha, a property owned by businessman Aprígio Santos.
This area will include a semi-intensive fish breeding complex of 20 hectares for species such as dory, sea-bass and corvine.
There are also plans for a 17 hectare fishing lake that will be stocked with fish from the breeding complex as well as a 25 hectare bird watching and conservation area near the arm of the Odeáxere River which is currently public maritime property.
José Pacheco, a seafood producer who has signed the petition said: “These fish breeding centres cause so many problems already, we call them exterminators.
“Last week I lost 400 kg of oysters in five days because of the pollution caused by a five hectare fish breeding centre, imagine what centre of 20 hectares would do.”
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