ACCORDING TO a team from the Commission of Co-ordination and Regional Development (CCDR), a lack of oxygen in the water of the Alcantarilha river, next to Armação de Pêra beach, coupled with recent high temperatures, has caused hundreds of fish to suffocate and die.
During the summer months, the rapid evaporation of water, due to the intense heat, results in the formation of a dam, which blocks the river from flowing into the sea, hence creating a lagoon. The water temperature rises and the fish, which are trapped in the lagoon, suffocate and die. Unfortunately, this is becoming a regular occurrence, as year after year fish suffocate because they cannot reach the cooler waters of the sea.
Silves Câmara, Armação de Pêra Junta de Freguesia and the CCDR are in charge of collecting and disposing of the dead fish. They are discussing the installation of a man-made tunnel between the sea and the river, which would ensure that this kind of incident does not reoccur in the future.
