MARE director warns: There are fewer lampreys in the Mondego River

On 15 October, a meeting in Figueira da Foz brought together fishermen, MARE, representatives from the Directorate-General for Natural Resources, Safety and Maritime Services (DGRM), the Institute for Nature Conservation and Forests (ICNF), the Maritime Authority, the PSP and the GNR's Nature and Environmental Protection Service to report the large decline in lamprey populations in the River Mondego. ​

In 2024, the Mondego was the year with the lowest number of adult lampreys in the river since records began, a researcher in the field revealed today, noting that measures to limit fishing will be implemented in 2025. ‘It was the year with the lowest number of breeding adults in the Mondego,’ Pedro Raposo Almeida, director of MARE, told Lusa.

According to the researcher, ‘a disastrous year was already expected, because the fisherman didn't catch any lamprey’, but the records of lamprey passage at the Coimbra bridge weir recorded 1,969 specimens, far below what would be ideal for the animal's sustainability (over 10,000), but far from the lowest numbers so far recorded at the bridge weir (in 2017, 295 specimens were recorded, and 717 in 2019).

However, Pedro Raposo Almeida emphasised that this data alone does not explain the evolution of the stock, since this year fewer lampreys were caught in Figueira da Foz and Montemor-o-Velho than those that passed the bridge weir in Coimbra.

This data was communicated on Tuesday at a meeting in Figueira da Foz, held as part of the international research project DiadSea, led by MARE, where it was possible to communicate and establish the regulation for 2025, which will bring limitations to lamprey fishing. According to MARE's director, by 2030 the botirão fishing gear will be abolished in the Mondego estuary. If there is no positive evolution in the number of lampreys in the Mondego, another type of restriction may have to be considered for 2026.

Despite all the problems, Pedro Raposo Almeira believes that there has been positive work over the last ten years, particularly in involving the fishing community.

To read the interview with Lusa click HERE

(Photo by Jay Fleming. Source: SIC Notícias)