Producers attribute their lousy performance to the water temperature
Producers and purifiers are concerned about the loss of productivity in the Galician estuaries, especially noticeable and alarming in the Arousa (Pontevedra) estuary. A verifiable fact that is aggravated by the increase in temperature of the watersince it has caused the massive mortality of some bivalves and has weakened many others.
To the episodes already referred to previously, such as those that occurred in Beaches like A Lanzada, where huge quantities of blades were lost, we must add the problems that the cockle and clam go through.
The punt mollusk
But, above all, it is necessary to warn of the situation in which the mussel finds itself, since even the consulted bateeiros themselves coincide in pointing out that “It is going through the worst moment in its history & rdquor ;.
Either “he climate change”to which some allude, or the “alarming rise in water temperature & rdquor;, which others detect, the truth is that “the mussel is in survival mode & rdquor ;, they explain in the sector itself.
What they mean is that the mollusk “It struggles to survive, but it doesn’t have the strength to grow or gain weight & rdquor ;.
The truth is that “it is so weak that not only does it not reach a minimum performance but also it dies or falls off& rdquor ;, hold the mussels.
There are orders, but we cannot meet them, since we do not have product to supply the market
“The mussel is in bad shape throughout the estuary, but it is suffering above all in Arousa, where the temperature of the water has destroyed it & rdquor ;, they wield at the Vilaxoán wharf.
Far from there, in Oh Grove, Some producers claim that “There are people who are not getting any profitability from their rafts”.
130 ropes per boat
By way of example, they indicate that to deliver to their clients a “barcade”, which is how the bulk mussel consignments transferred to port on the deck of ships are known –15,000 kilos on each trip–, “before 70 strings of mussels were necessary, but now it is so small that up to 130 ropes are needed per boat.”
In A Illa they abound in this saying that “The temperature of the water is killing shellfish and not only in Galiciabut also in France and other parts of the world& rdquor ;.
To add that in Arousa “it got to be 24 degreeswhich is outrageous and caused the mussel to lose hair, which not hold on and not grow or gain weight & rdquor ;.
“terrible year”
“It’s been a terrible year here too,” some bateeros from Cangas point out, also alluding to the high temperature of the water and ruling: “This is never seen before; the mussel did not catch meatand at this rate we can give up this year’s campaign and the 2024 campaign.”
The consequences are already being felt. “There are orders, but we can’t meet them, since we don’t have the product to supply the market,” says the leader of one of the main mussel groups in Galicia.
Bad image
“The added problem is that if we send mussels to the market in this state, with such low quality what we are doing is throwing stones at our own roof, since we will project a very bad image of the product& rdquor ;.
“You have to think that the same is happening with razors and clams& rdquor;wields another of the mussels who give as an example what happens with the barcades, in his case to say that “Until last year you finished the raft with 3 or 4 boatloads, and now you need an average of seven”.
Industry and Italy
Added to this is the fact that the industry campaign, the one led by cookers and canners, is working almost “on tiptoe& rdquor;, since there is no raw material capable of being cooked and canned.
And around the corner is the call “campaign of Italy”, focused on the sale of mussels for the fresh market –treatment plants–, which it will also be a failure if the situation does not improveand it does not seem easy that he is going to do it.
A situation that many producers consider “critical”, and to which others do not see an easy solution, which is also echoed, as was said at the beginning, by the purification and commercialization companies.
“We are forced to select as much as possible each game that we refine & rdquor;
In the Galician mollusc treatment plants they confirm that they are having “real problems to get raw material & rdquor ;.
know of “a high mortality of mussels & rdquor ;, and also that “the fattening cycle comes later and later and spawning is more irregular every year, so it is very difficult for it to achieve an adequate yield& rdquor ;.
Purification entrepreneurs also assume that “the mussel seems to be slightly better in Sada and Vigo, the Arousa estuary being the estuary most affected by these bad spawnings& rdquor;.
This makes us “we are going crazy to try to find mussels with a minimum of guarantees; we are forced to select as much as possible each game that we refine& rdquor ;.