Preventing overcrowding

PAYING to park at bays in the Marina Alta is gaining ground as the preferred method to prevent overcrowding.

As reported recently by the Euro Weekly News, Benitachell Council is the latest to introduce the measure at the Cala del Moraig at the beginning of April, with beach ­ goers now requested to pay €12 to leave their car but with residents exempt.

Javea took the same step last year, with drivers charged €9 to access the Cala Granadella and Cala Portitxol ­ although over the summer the charge was not enforced as there was no company responsible for the service.

Javea mayor José Chulvi explained that this is not the only measure carried out over the last few years, with the council drawing up a Coastal Management plan to avoid tourist massification.

This has included regulating noise in the sea to prevent boats from using large speakers and negotiating solutions with the companies offering kayaks for hire, which have increased from six to 18 over just one year, to guarantee a balance between tourism and environmental conservation.

ON Wednesday April 19

Teulada­Moraira Fishing Club fished section B3 of the River Jucar in Valencia province.

This section is almost always won by those lucky enough to be drawn between the road bridge and the old railway bridge. As there were only five of us fishing the match, it was decided to leave this area unpegged and place all anglers upstream of the road bridge to create a more equal opportunity for everyone.

The day began very slowly and no­one had a bite in the first hour and the first fish, a small Carassio, was landed after an hour and a half.

Things did improve a little as the day progressed, but generally it was very hard fishing and although several anglers hooked, they lost their only good fish of the day. Jacques Janssen was first with four fish for 8.65 kilo, including the best fish of the day which weighed 5.4 kilos. Frank Povey was second with 3 fish (7.4 kilos) with Graham Sewell in third place with three fish (1.8 kilos). It was a very disappointing day, with only 11 fish landed for a total weight of just 18.4 kilos.

For further information about the Teulada­Moraira Fishing Club, contact Frank Povey on 966 490 338 or frankpovey1@gmail.com