The regional Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries has ordered the closure of the bivalve fishing areas in Málaga province as a result of high levels of DSP and PSP toxins.
The presence of PSP toxins was already having a crippling effect on the fishing industry in Fuengirola but now the fishing ban has been extended to all nine areas in Málaga provonce.
High levels of DSP cause gastrointestinal disorders although not as bad as those caused by PSP. There are, however, also high levels of PSP, the toxin causing the phenomenon known as ‘Red Tide’, currently present. These PSP levels are higher than in July when the fisheries were closed for 42 days and it is thought that this stoppage could well be of a longer duration.
Fishermen are entitled to financial aid if the fishing bans last for longer than twenty-one days.