Vila Real de Santo António council suspects deliberate fiddling, or incompetence, over the seawater test results that have made sure a shellfish harvesting ban has in force for over two months.
The council now is questioning the validity of the samples taken by the Portuguese Institute of Ocean and Atmosphere (IPMA) laboratories and have started to take a few of their own.
The ban on harvesting shellfish in the Vila Real de Santo António and Monte Gordo areas already has caused serious economic hardship for hundreds of families who depend entirely on shellfishing.
To try and clarify the reasons that have halted the work of the shellfishermen, the municipality has requested an emergency meeting with the IPMA and have asked several times for some clarification about how the current water sample analysis has caused such a long ban on activity, with nil response.
"We could not understand how the IPMA analysis showing high toxin levels was different to the tests commissioned by the council at a certified laboratory, with samples taken in exactly the same places. Ours have much lower results and show that the water is suitable for harvesting shellfish" said a concerned Luís Gomes, Mayor of Vila Real de Santo António.
There is money in shellfish despite the hard work involved in collecting the blighters. In Olhão, 400 kilos of shellfish have been seized form an unlicensed boat.
The haul, worth about €1,200 was made after a private motor boat was found to have several bags recently lifted of shellfish on board.
The owner was not licensed in the trade and will be prosecuted; the shellfish were returned to their natural habitat.
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