The Algarve Situation Report Wednesday 4^th May 2022

by Mike Evans

The Ria Formosa Natural Park celebrates its 44th anniversary on Saturday, May 7th, with a diversified program and an Open Day for all ages in Olhão and Faro, announced the Institute for the Conservation of Nature and Forests (ICNF).

The Marine Environmental Education Centre, in Olhão, will have exhibitions, guided tours, bird watching, live science activities, traditional games, sports in nature and the launch of the book “Discovering the Ria Formosa”.

In Faro and Olhão there will be boat trips, a segway tour with a guide on Ludo and a stand up paddle experience exclusively for children from the Nossa Senhora das Candeias institution.

The third edition of Bioblitz integrates the celebrations with visits to explore the biodiversity that will identify and record various species of fauna and flora that exist at the Marim Environmental Education Centre.

All activities are free and aim to “raise the population’s awareness of the valuable heritage of the Ria Formosa Natural Park and reveal a range of recreational and leisure activities that can be developed in harmony with nature”, according to the statement.

Two women and a man were caught stealing catalytic converters in Ferragudo.

The National Republican Guard (GNR) detained on April 24, two women aged 33 and 49 and a 20-year-old man, for attempting to steal a car catalytic converter, in Ferragudo, municipality of Lagoa.

After a complaint that a theft was taking place, the military moved quickly to the scene, having surprised the suspects in the act, “the man was still with the cutting saw in his hand carrying out the theft”, adds the same force. security, in a statement.

 Upon realising the arrival of the patrol, the suspects tried to escape, but were eventually intercepted. In the operation, the GNR carried out several steps, which culminated in the seizure of various material: a vehicle; three watches; a car jack; various blades for chainsaws and a chainsaw. The detainees were made arguidos, and the facts were referred to the Judicial Court of Portimão.

Emergency exercise at Faro airport tests response from several entities.

Faro airport, in collaboration with the National Maritime Authority and the National Emergency and Civil Protection Authority, is carrying out, this Wednesday, an emergency exercise “FAO_LIVEX _2021”, between 16:00 and 20:00.

In a statement, ANA – Aeroportos de Portugal, states that this exercise aims to comply with the guidelines recommended by the EASA (European Union Safety Aviation Agency), about carrying out full-scale exercises, to practice the response rapid and coordinated use of internal resources, as well as the device of the integrated system of protection and rescue operations.

 It will be the first time that this exercise, held every two years in the Algarve, will take place in the area surrounding the airport, in the public maritime domain, given its proximity to the Ria Formosa.

 ANA clarifies that during this exercise “the equipment acquired specifically to provide assistance and rescue in situations of air accidents that may occur in swampy and difficult to access areas will be used and tested, following the protocol signed with the National Maritime Authority.

 It will also be the culmination of an operational training program between internal and external rescue teams, which took place throughout the past year with the participation of local bodies from the National Maritime Authority, the airport’s rescue and firefighting service, firefighters from the Algarve and INEM.

 In this simulation operation, all the rescue means involved in the Emergency Plan for Faro airport and in the Prior Intervention Plan of ANEPC – National Emergency and Civil Protection Authority will be activated, so there will be a high number of rescue vehicles”. and emergency” that will circulate with the respective audible and visual emergency signals.

Maritime Police carried out an inspection action aimed at the practice of bivalves capture activity in Tavira.

​During the action, several shellfish gatherers were detected in the capture of bivalves, using fishing gear called “hand hooks” and “xalavar”, without proper licensing, and they ended up fleeing when they realised the approach of the police, according to the Maritime Authority in a statement.

 The respective news reports were drawn up and about 30kg of razor clams and 20kg of clams were seized, as well as a total of four fishing gears. Since the bivalves are still alive, they were returned to their natural habitat, according to the same source.

The Portimão PSP detained a 23-year-old man for drug trafficking.

In a statement, the PSP said that the arrest took place on April 29, when the suspect was arrested in flagrante delicto carrying out a drug transaction.

After a search of the individual’s residence was carried out, various means of evidence were seized, namely 2064 doses of heroin, 535 doses of cocaine, about 1340 euros suspected of coming from illicit activity and various materials for weighing, cutting, and packaging the product. narcotic. The PSP says there are strong indications that the suspect is engaged in drug trafficking on a repeated basis.  Present in court, the detainee was subject to the coercive measure of preventive detention. 

Two crew members of a sailboat with a German flag, which was adrift about two miles (approximately three and a half kilometres) from Lagos, without onboard power and manoeuvrability, were rescued by the elements of the Sagres Lifeguard Station. .

After the alert was received at 20:00, the sailboat was towed to the port of Lagos. The crew members were in good physical condition, without the need for medical assistance, confirms the National Maritime Authority in a statement. The Local Command of the Maritime Police of Lagos took charge of the occurrence.

Sardine fishing resumed on Monday 2 May, from 00:00, with the Portuguese fleet having a global limit of 29,400 tonnes of catches discharged with the seine art for 2022, according to an order published today.

The diploma defines, on each fishing day, the limit of sardines allowed to unload or sell sardines, with a maximum of 495 kilos of sardines calibrated as T4, different for vessels with an overall length of less than or equal to nine metres. (1,080 kilos), greater than nine metres and less than or equal to 16 metres (2,160 kilos) and greater than 16 metres (3,240 kilos).

 The order prohibits the capture, maintenance on board, unloading and sale of sardines “on all days of national holidays” and prohibits the transfer of sardines to a different auction house from the one corresponding to the port of discharge, as well as the same vessel unloading in more than one port each day.

 The fishing day corresponds to each period of 24 hours, after the end of the 48-hour stop during the weekend, defined by areas of jurisdiction of the captaincies.

Covid.19: Active cases and hospitalizations going down in the Algarve

The weekly bulletin regarding the epidemiological situation in the Algarve, confirms 6,312 active cases in the region, with 2,274 new cases registered in the last week.

According to data from the Algarve Regional Health Administration – ARS, in the last 24 hours, 396 new cases were confirmed, with 6,259 people recovering at home and 53 hospitalised, 1 in Intensive Care Units.   Under active surveillance are 1,197 people.

Compared to last week’s bulletin, 276 less active cases are confirmed. Another 2,542 people have recovered from Covid.19.  There are 4 fewer hospitalised (53), 2 less in Intensive Care (1) and the absence of ventilated patients remains (0). Under active surveillance are 676 fewer people.  In the last week, 8 deaths were recorded.