Calp City Council has participated in the first Forum of Industrial Fish Farms (Mares of Change) held on the Greek island of Poros, an event in which Calp has had the opportunity to explain its opposition to the expansion of the fish farm.
This is a forum in which the growing expansion of carnivorous fish farms has been debated, especially on the coasts of the countries of the European Union, and has brought together activists, scientists, political representatives and NGOs from four continents and 14 countries.
The Councilor for International Promotion Marco Bittner has been in charge of explaining the problems that Calp is experiencing in relation to the expansion of the fish farm, which implies an increase in the number of cages from 12 to 45 and which according to a municipal report will have an impact of 450 million euros in losses for the local economy.
The mayor of Calp, Ana Sala, has participated through a video in which he explained that the Calpine council has presented a contentious-administrative appeal against said decision and whose resolution is expected to be known shortly. «The meeting has served to provide the municipality with new scientific and legal tools to avoid the negative impact of the facilities on the residents of Calp. With this, an international collaboration is forged with various entities and social movements in which Calp takes part as another member," highlighted Marco Bittner.
In these days, the NGOs dedicated to the analysis of the food chain have denounced that, in the breeding of carnivorous fish such as sea bream and sea bass, a greater quantity of fish is used that is suitable for human consumption and cheaper and that is extracted from the African coasts for the production of feed, leaving the
natives.
Furthermore, several marine biologists have expressed concern about the proliferation of genetically manipulated sea bream species by the fish farming industry that are replacing the original species throughout the Mediterranean. Likewise, they have pointed out that eutrophication, the dumping of tons of remains, feces and waste from marine farms, together with the warming of Mediterranean waters, are enabling the appearance of populations of toxic algae, both for local fauna and for the human being, as the final consumer of the food chain.
On the other hand, many municipalities in the Greek regions, including the island of Poros itself, have pointed out opaque practices on the part of the companies that are installing and expanding industrial fish farms on paradisiacal Greek islands, putting at risk their tourist attraction that in many cases the greatest support of these communities.
"It has been a space for reflection on the environmental and social repercussions of industrial fish farms, viable alternatives have been proposed, the mandatory corporate responsibility and the demand for more transparency," concluded the Calpine councilor.
