A bar that is too silted up, despite requests for dredging that fishing professionals and their associations have been making for years, bad weather and a period of banning shellfish fishing that lasted more than two months, raised a few days ago, between Tavira and Vila Real of St. Anthony.
These are some of the factors that frame the accident in which a fisherman from Olhão died and another was injured, whose vessel sank in Barra da Armona, or Lavajo, at dawn this Tuesday.
The two crew tried to set out at sea, at around 6:30 am, probably to take advantage of the recent lifting of the ban on collecting shellfish, «the main target species of this vessel and of many others in the art of hook,» but ended up victims of «a regrettable accident'. According to the president of the shipowners association Olhãopescas Miguel Cardoso, the master of the boat, the mortal victim, tried to return to land, considering that he would not be able to pass the strong swell that was felt at the time in Barra.
"But when he tried to turn around, he took it with a sea blow, which rolled and overturned the boat," explained Miguel Cardoso, based on the account of the shipowner of the vessel "Patrício". "They had their vests on, but even when all the rules are followed, no one is free to hit their head or be unlucky," he lamented.
In this accident, there is no place to point out flaws in safety procedures. “They were following all the procedures. They had the vests and the boat had been inspected recently», he assured the Sul Informação the commander of the Port of Olhão Nunes Ferreira. The same person in charge said that an inquiry was opened and that, for now, there is no certainty as to what motivated the accident. "First we will have to talk to the survivor and any eyewitnesses," he said.
The victims of the shipwreck were helped, shortly after the accident, by the crew of the boats “Alamar” and “Manuel Francisco”, local fishing boats with hooks that also set out to work at the same time. It was they who rescued the survivor and the body of the mortal victim from the sea.
Later, several hook-fishing vessels joined the stranded boat rescue operations, which were frustrated by the strong swell that was felt. Tomorrow, another attempt will be made to remove the vessel «Patrício» from the sand bank where it is stranded.
Safety goes beyond fishermen's compliance with procedures
Security lacks, and for a long time, in Barra do Lavajo itself, the original name of the natural opening between the islands of Armona and Culatra, but also in other places in the Ria Formosa, defend shipowners and union representatives.
«This misfortune leads us to reflect on the siltation of the Ria Formosa bars and canals. Because it's not just Lavajo's. Also the one in Fuzeta, which although new, was poorly built from scratch, and the one in Tavira is silted up and represents a danger», defends Miguel Cardoso.
In a bar that is not dredged regularly, "the danger doubles or triples" for boats that try to use it, since "slops are formed, where boats can snag, when maneuvering, especially in bad weather", with just one more wave strong, to turn them. Not least because, he assures, «the masters of the boats are prepared for bad weather».
Miguel Cardoso goes further and says this is a national problem. “Our rulers have long since stopped looking at bars and fishing ports. Maintenance is no longer carried out at the national level and things deteriorate more and more», illustrated the president of Olhãopesca. Before, each captaincy had its own barge, for dredging, “which did this work whenever necessary”.
«The bellies of fishermen need food»
The Minister of Agriculture and Fisheries, however, reacted to the news of this accident, lamenting it and urging fishermen to be “prudent” and to avoid going out to sea when conditions are not ideal. Statements that did not sit well with the leader of the Southern Fisheries Union, Josué Marques.
“What the fishermen's bellies need is food and they don't feel sorry for the lack of it. Perhaps one would ask for greater speed in the progress of applications for the Salary Guarantee Fund, if more accidents would be avoided. If there's one thing that fishermen don't lack, it's prudence," he fired.
In this case, nothing indicates that the victims were waiting for compensation due to a forced arrest. Conquilla, explained Miguel Cardoso, was the main target species of boats like the “Patricio”, but not the only one.
«They also had the pea-de-burrinha and the white clam, but they don't give the same yield. Things haven't been easy around here», confessed the leader of Olhãopescas, referring to the «more than three months» that lasts the ban on collecting shellfish, in the Olhão and Faro (which still holds). "People need to earn their bread and sometimes take risks", he illustrated.
Josué Marques also focused on the issue of dredging, ensuring that this is a requirement that has been made for at least 14 years, but that has never been met. "Now there is one more life to be regretted," he said.
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