The Department of Climate Action began work on Monday morning to remove fish from the Riudecanyes reservoir (Baix Camp). The objective of the operation is to prevent the mortality of these animals and guarantee the quality of water for human consumption. "It is the reservoir that most needs to be intervened," said Sisco Mañas, head of the Department's Inland Fisheries Service.
According to data from the Catalan Water Agency (ACA), the water reserves in the reservoir are at 4% due to the drought. Although there is no forecast on the number of fish that will be removed, the aim is to eliminate the "maximum amount" possible. The vast majority of the specimens that inhabit it are invasive species, such as carp. The operation will last around ten days.
During the last four months, the Department, together with the ACA and the municipalities, has carried out studies in the Riudecanyes reservoir due to the drought to control its quality. During this time, they have prepared a fish rescue plan.
"We are all aware of the water emergency situation, of the drought accumulated in recent years, and it is especially serious in this area; it is a reservoir that is at 4%, and the more fish we remove, the more we will guarantee the quality of the water" , stated Mañas.
As explained by the head of the Inland Fisheries Service, the decrease in the water level in the reservoir has caused there to be less habitat and there is not "enough" oxygen to maintain the life of the animals. "Fish that are at their limit can experience mortality episodes and compromise the quality of the water in a reservoir that is used for human consumption. We prefer to remove the fish and keep the situation under control," Mañas stressed.
The vast majority of the species that inhabit the reservoir are invasive. Some of them include alburnium, carp and saboga. It is also expected to find large catfish and popular specimens. Mañas highlighted that the removal device is not intended to control invasive species, but rather stressed that it is about avoiding mortality episodes that could affect water quality.
Likewise, he pointed out that native species, such as fish or turtles, will be returned to the same reservoir, while invasive species will be sacrificed as established by current legislation. Furthermore, once the tank is full, the Department indicates, the exotic specimens will be taken to the shore of the reservoir and will not be moved.
Last Friday the material was prepared and the electric fishing equipment was installed. Thus, this Monday the work began with a maritime vessel adapted to remove the fish. The activity is carried out with the electrofishing system and the catches are selected depending on whether it is a native or invasive species.
For his part, the mayor of Riudecanyes, Ernest Roigé, fears that the drought will leave them without water, since the municipality is supplied "only" from the reservoir. "It is one of the operations we expected; we are at the lowest levels in history, with 4% capacity, and the problem is the concentration of mud and fish, which will make it increasingly difficult to make it drinkable," lament.
Although he indicated that the water still "comes out clear," he expressed concern about how long they will be able to maintain it: "we do not know how long we will be able to maintain this level, the quality today would not be optimal, but it is within the correct and adequate parameters for human consumption," added the mayor.
For all this, the City Council has begun to look for alternatives and is drilling new wells. Although at the moment they have not used them, the council does not rule out using cisterns. "It is a specific resource, we trust in finding water, having some underground catchment that will provide us with enough water, we will continue drilling wells and we hope that the drought situation will be reversed," said the mayor.
In fact, the population already implemented restrictions in August due to the emergency situation. Roigé recalled that the filling of swimming pools, the irrigation of gardens and streets, as well as consumption were limited to 200 liters per inhabitant per day on average. "Luckily, we had already done our homework and we were below that consumption," he concluded.
