The Calp City Council has already presented the appeal against the resolution of the Department of Agriculture, Livestock and Fisheries that grants authorization for the expansion of the fish farm located in Calp in 45 floating cages, that is, the new dimension is almost 6 times greater than the pre-existing one. The authorization involves a concession of 550.000m2, in a delimited rectangle of 1.100x500m consisting of 45 floating cages with a diameter of 25 meters and a depth of 21,5 meters, with the capacity to produce 3.000 tons per year.
The appeal is based on four points: that the Ministry's Environmental Impact Study lacks the study of viable alternatives required by law and whose absence may lead to the nullity of the activity authorization procedure. On the other hand, the City Council considers that the Environmental Impact Statement is resolved after the deadline.
It is also considered that the existence of a Public Participation Plan has not been accredited in accordance with the Law on spatial planning, urban planning and landscape. And finally, the impact that the installation would have on the local economy is not considered sufficiently studied, which is estimated at a loss of about 450 million euros.
To support the resource, the City Council has attached two reports: an environmental report carried out by the Geoinnova environmental consultancy and an economic impact report issued by the head of the City Council's Tourism and Economic Promotion area.
The Geoinnova report indicates that in relation to the Environmental Impact Study, the analysis of location alternatives should have been adapted to the environmental evaluation regulations, making a multi-criteria analysis and comparing the environmental effects between the different alternatives. He also adds that the project's vulnerability to climate change is not assessed and that the budget does not include a specific section on preventive, corrective and/or compensatory measures.
It is also indicated that the effects and impacts should have been evaluated for the dismantling phase of the project. Finally, the document considers it necessary and essential to carry out the "Study of the carrying capacity of the environment" for the Bay of Calp.
Regarding the economic report, it is considered that there are more than sufficient reasoned reasons to justify that Calp, one of the main tourist destinations in the Valencian Community, is not the right place to implement this activity.
The document indicates that "the beaches, the landscape and the attractions offered by the nautical sector in the municipality are fundamental engines of the municipality's tourism competitiveness and would be potentially affected by the installation of the projected marine farm in front of the Morro de Toix". It is also added that “to the extent that the implementation of the marine farm could threaten the quality of Calp's beaches and its landscape, it would put the main tourist attraction of the municipality at risk. And nothing in the documentation of the authorization file guarantees that these impacts cannot occur”.
The report casts doubt on the environmental, social and economic sustainability of the fish farm's activity and establishes that the impact of the installation could produce millionaire losses in the local economy.
