Help is needed to foil poachers

JAVEA Town Hall called on local restaurants and bars to assist in controlling poaching along the town’s 27 kilometres of coast.

The Local Police’s Special Tasks Unit has stepped up surveillance but needs cooperation from sectors that are affected.  

Javea’s Mayor Jose Chulvi recently met members of the local Fishing Guild and AMMA and ARX, associations that represent Marina Alta fishmongers and Javea restaurateurs respectively. Poaching jeopardises fair competition in these economic sectors, said Chulvi, who pointed out sales are the driving force behind the practice.

Poachers invariably offer their spoils, particularly sea urchins, to local restaurants and bars, the mayor continued. The problem could be easily solved by ensuring that poaching is no longer financially viable, with restaurateurs turning down fish whose origin is illegal or not entirely transparent.

The town hall has now launched an anti-poaching campaign that includes distributing stickers to Javea businesses certifying that they do not use illegally-caught fish.  

The AMMA and ARX associations were also supplied with details of the paperwork that was required during an inspection to demonstrate the origins of the fish and prove that it had been acquired legally.