Something Fishy

the sea's too warm

It may be coming up to that time in the year when our wonderful beaches are packed like sardines, but the poor fishermen round these parts are unable to say that the sea is packed with sardines - because they can't catch any!

The mariners from the Altea fishing fleet are complaining that there is a distinct absence of blue fish, such as anchovies, sardines and tuna in their normal happy hunting grounds. It's taken no less an organisation than the Investigative Unit of the Department of Marine Biology at the University of Alicante to come up with a reasonable explanation - the sea's too warm.

Great news for bathers, but not for fish, they like it to be a bit colder and have departed for chillier waters further round the coast.

1 April 2004 Stephen White.