Government promises to fix Playa de El Castillo
The Spanish Ministry for the Environment has promised to fix the issues with the recent remodelling of Playa de El Castillo in Caleta de Fuste. The beach received a new cap of sand, however the new sand has proven disastrous, with tourists complaining that it cuts their feet, has caused continuous murkiness of the water and on top of that, the new sand is already being washed away. Political party, Podemos, have denounced that the new sand has damaged the surrounding sea bed, killing off a threatened species of sea grass and that the area has markedly less marine life than before.
Fugu caught in Fuerteventura Waters
An Oceanic puffer (Lagocephalus lagocephalus) was caught off the island on the 13th of September – a species infamous in Japanese cuisine, where it is known as Fugu. This pufferfish can be lethal when consumed due to a tetrodotoxin, and chefs in Japan must receive at least 3 years of rigorous training before they are licensed to prepare it for human consumption. There has been a marked increase in the number of tropical fish species encountered in the Canary Islands in recent years, something that many observers have attributed to global warming.
Cabildo Acquires Drone for Patrols
The Fuerteventura Cabildo has acquired a drone that will be used by Environmental Agents to patrol the protected natural spaces of the Island – including Isla de Lobos. It emerged earlier in the month that the small island had received more than 2000 visitors per day during the summer – more than 10 times the capacity that had been established by a government study.
Double blowout closes Airport
A TUI aeroplane that was just about to take-off for Hanover suffered two blown tyres, leaving it stranded on the runway, which in-turn forced the closure of the airport on the 18th of September. The knock-on effects of the closure forced the diversion of 7 flights and the cancellation of 4 arrivals and 13 departures, leaving 750 passengers stranded overnight in the Airport. Although Fuerteventura Airport supposedly has a second contingency runway, AENA have dismantled it in recent years, and it is no longer operational.
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