Hundreds of dead fish on the beach of Matosinhos

Hundreds of fish appeared yesterday morning dead, May 2, on the beach of Matosinhos, and the Maritime Police are on site to investigate the causes, the Navy spokesman told Lusa

Speaking to Lusa, Navy spokesman Commander Sousa Luís confirmed that "there is a patch of dead fish on the sand of Matosinhos beach" and that elements of the Maritime Police from the Leixões Port Captaincy were, at 12:30, heading to the site to "ascertain the cause.

According to Sousa Luís, the dead fish that appeared on Matosinhos beach are "sardines" and the most likely cause will be the accidental, or intentional, fall of a boat.

"There is no evidence of contaminated water because of the low amount of dead fish," he added.

According to the commander, the Matosinhos City Council is the entity that will proceed to remove the fish that are on the beach.

The alert to the Maritime Police was made through a "complaint", he said, adding that fish analyses will have to be made to determine the causes, which are still unknown.

For the spokesman, any cause that is attributed for now to the appearance of the dead fish, such as pollution, contaminated water or discharge of fish from a boat, is "speculation".

A beachgoer who was at the spot that morning told Lusa that the beach at 11am had "hundreds of dead fish along several metres of beach, by the sea, where children and adults were bathing".

He added that "there are many dead fish in the water".

On the scene dealing with the occurrence was the local command of the Maritime Police.

Sardine fishing reopened yesterday, with a set of daily limits for unloading and selling, but can be suspended or closed if, for example, the quota is exhausted.

According to a decree published in the Diário da República last Friday, April 28, sardine fishing reopened yesterday from 00h00.

The limit of landings of sardines caught with the purse seine gear is 37,642 tonnes, which are distributed by the various vessels whose owners or ship-owners belong to producer organisations (POs) and by the group that does not belong to recognised POs for sardines.