The Fine Facing a Santa Pola Restaurant for Using Illegal Fish in Their Menus

The Civil Guard has seized 250 kilograms of illegal fish in Santa Pola during two operations conducted on May 29 and 30. In one instance, they confiscated 140 kilos of immature rock octopus at the town's port, while in the second operation, SEPRONA discovered 110 kilograms of octopus, hen fish, and small fry acquired irregularly and in poor storage conditions at a restaurant.

The first inspection carried out by the Nature Protection Patrol of the Alicante Civil Guard Command (PACPRONA) took place at the Santa Pola port. Officers observed several buckets being loaded into a car. Upon requesting the vehicle's owner to reveal its contents, they found immature rock octopus specimens.

This seafood product, transported without refrigeration, lacked documentation and had not been presented at the market for initial sale, constituting economic fraud and bypassing necessary health checks for consumption. Consequently, proceedings were initiated against the alleged offender, a 63-year-old man, facing severe penalties under the Maritime Fishing and Aquaculture Law 5/2017, which could reach up to 60,000 euros. The Civil Guard continues investigations to identify the fishing vessels responsible for capturing the octopus.

The second inspection, conducted the following day, was at a Santa Pola restaurant. There, officers discovered several freezer chests containing illegal seafood, lacking labels, used in the restaurant's menu preparation.

Labels must include batch number, origin, freezing and shelf life dates, among others. The establishment's owner could not verify the origin of these products, as they were irregularly purchased directly from fishermen, bypassing the market, according to Civil Guard sources. Additionally, SEPRONA found several packages of octopus in the warehouse that were partially defrosted.

Many of these products did not meet the required size for sale. In light of multiple violations of the Maritime Fishing and Aquaculture Law 5/2017 and Law 14/1986, which regulates health protection in Spain, officers have filed a report, which has been forwarded to both the Fisheries and Health Departments. The responsible party is a 60-year-old man, and there is a possibility of charging him with a public health offense for selling a product that could endanger consumer health at the restaurant.