Alex Trelinski
AN Elche area restaurant could be fined over €60,000 after 59 kilos of black-market seafood was discovered in its freezers.
All of the products lacked any paperwork to show where they came from.
There was no support documentation over how the seafood was caught or if it passed required health standards- meaning that diners were being put at risk.
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The Guardia Civil were tipped off that the unnamed restaurant was breaking the law and officers paid a surprise visit.
The freezers included 33.9 kilos of octopus, 11.4 kilos of cuttlefish, and three kilos of squid that had no source paperwork.
It’s believed that the seafood stash may have been caught and supplied illegally.
All of the products- which also included tuna and shrimp- were seized and handed over to the Valencian regional fisheries department, who will pursue action against the restaurant owner.
Fishery and health food laws mean the establishment could be fined up to €64,000.
Last August, a Santa Pola restaurant was raided with 35 kilos of unsourced seafood discovered in freezers.
The Guardia Civil said that illegal catches and sales of fish poses a serious risk to the environment as laws over closed periods, catch limits or minimum sizes are flouted.
It is also a tax fraud and a lack of health control means that consumers are exposed to possible poisoning or diseases.
The Guardia pointed out that restaurants should provide clear and accessible information on the origin and traceability of the food offered.
If diners are suspicious, they can ask for a complaint form for issues to be recorded which helps to protect public health and consumer rights.
