Two men suspected of catching more than 23 tons of croaker in illegal fishing nets in the Tagus estuary have been named as defendants in an investigation that began three years ago, GNR announced Friday.
As Major Pedro Videira of the Coastal and Border Control Unit (UCCF) told Lusa, the two men, aged 44 and 54, were carrying out this illegal activity near the piers of the 25 de Abril and Vasco da Gama bridges, from March to June, the spawning season for croakers, which will bring in “more than 250 thousand euros in profits.”
In a press release, the GNR said that during the operation that took place on Wednesday, troops from the Coastal and Border Control Force’s (UCCF) Nature and Environment Protection Unit seized various materials related to the crime of environmental damage.
According to the PNP, six search warrants were executed: two at the homes of the accused in Sesimbra and Setúbal, two on vehicles and two on boats, resulting in the confiscation of two vehicles, two boats, as well as various nets and materials in support of the illegal activity.
“During the operation, it was possible to establish that the use of technological equipment, such as probes and GPS, made it possible to detect and catch schools of croaker, a marine species of high economic and ecological value,” the note says.
The GNR also states that the two men were dedicated to “mass capture of individuals during the breeding season, when they gather in large numbers for the purpose of reproduction, and these schools were destroyed by this repetitive practice, interrupting their reproduction, in the Tagus Estuary.”
The note stresses that the common croaker (Argyrosomus regius), which can live for more than 40 years and weigh up to 100 kilograms, plays a crucial role in the balance of the aquatic environment, but that unrestrained and illegal fishing “may seriously threaten the survival of this species in the ecosystem.”
GNR also highlights that the Tagus Estuary is considered the most important of the five estuaries in the world where croaker spawning occurs.
Author: Lusa
Source: CM Jornal
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