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ARCHIVED - Scientists unveil small-scale Mar Menor replica that will support the recovery of the lagoon
The San Pedro del Pinatar marine aquaculture plant is being renovated to mirror the conditions of the Mar Menor
Spanning an area of 170 square kilometres, the vastness of the Mar Menor means that important tests and experiments that would aid the recovery of the ecosystem are often implausible, and sometimes even impossible.
To solve this problem, the Murcian Institute for Agrarian and Environmental Research and Development (IMIDA) has announced that the old Las Salinas aquaculture facilities in San Pedro del Pinatar will be renovated to “recreate similar conditions” to the lagoon, but on a much smaller scale.
This means that trials or investigations that would be impractical in nature can be conducted in controlled conditions before the powers that be decide if they should be implemented in the Mar Menor.
“One of the problems that we are encountering is that many proposals for solutions come to us that cannot be tested in the Mar Menor. It is an open environment and we need a closed environment with controllable conditions where we can study the degree of effectiveness”, Víctor Serrano, general director of the Mar Menor, pointed out this week during a scientific conference at the Ministry of the Environment.
Work has already begun at the San Pedro facilities, removing the existing reservoirs and replacing them with a “system of modular ponds” that will be fed by water from the lagoon and the Mediterranean. The first phase of the operation will cost around 600,000 euros and should be completed by the beginning of 2024.
The very first project planned is the recovery of marine species such as the seahorse and the nacra, which have been particularly impacted by the episodes of anoxia that the Mar Menor has suffered in recent years.
The facilities also allow plenty of space to continue studying bivalve populations and their work as filter-feeders in the water which could remove large amounts of harmful nutrients from the lagoon. In addition, studies will be carried out on the reproduction of species that make up the seagrass beds at the bottom of the Mar Menor, while breeding stocks of sea bream and sea bass from the area will be raised with the help of the San Pedro del Pinatar Fishermen's Association.
Bringing experts with more than 40 years of experience, the IMIDA marine aquaculture station is "the perfect setting to take on the challenges that arise in the maintenance of the ecosystem's biodiversity", the Ministry of Agriculture concluded.
Also of interest: The Mar Menor will soon be given its own tax identification number
Image: CARM
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