NIJAR – Marine animals appear to be the biggest victims of the plastic that pollutes the beaches and seas. As an example, something concerning was recently found in the stomach of a sea bass caught in the Cabo de Gata Natural Park in Almería.
Footage of this discovery went viral after it was shared by David Valverde, a scuba diving instructor committed to the environment. A fisherman caught the sea bass in question a few days ago. He noticed an abnormality and decided to cut the fish open. “He saw something strange and was shocked by what he found,” says the diver. It involved a plastic hair elastic that the fish had probably accidentally swallowed. “It’s shameful what we’re doing to the world,” the fisherman lamented as he pulled the object out of the fish.
“Shocking”
David Valverde, who has been diving in this area for over a decade, commented in NIUS: “It is shocking. If the fish had survived, it was clear that it would have died shortly afterwards. Because the stomach next to the hair elastic didn’t offer much room for food.”
Artisan fishing
Small-scale artisanal fishing is allowed in the Natural Park of Cabo de Gata, as it is also a ‘Marine Reserve’. Its purpose is to protect, regenerate and develop fishing resources in order to preserve the traditional way of life of the local fishermen.
This reserve, located at the foot of the Sierra de Cabo de Gata, covers a coastal strip of more than 45 kilometres and has an area of 4,653 hectares. Despite being a natural paradise, the fauna and flora of this area is not spared from human pollution.
“The sea doesn’t deserve what we’re doing to it,” says David. He points out that in this case the plastic was large and visible, but in most cases, these are microparticles that are eventually consumed by humans.
Also read: Construction of hotel in Cabo de Gata Natural Park approved by regional government
