The dangerous catch of the Galician underwater poachers

They are professional poachers. When demand for shellfish is high, at Christmas time or in the summer, for example, they can earn up to 6,000 eurosa week under the table. They have become experts in working with extra oxygen tanks strapped to their backs, using both hands to harvest scallops, clams, spider crabs and other delicacies from the Ferrol inlet, a narrow and biologically rich body of water some 12 kilometers long. Patrollers believe them to number between 10 and 12, all men between the ages of 25 and 40, and all residents of nearby communities, such as Ferrol, Fene and Mugardos.

They are experienced divers who do not fit the normal profile of the solitary poacher. These men are strong and muscular, and keep fit by working out at gyms and eating lots of protein. They do not normally have any property in their name, but their lucrative criminal activities make them huge amounts of money, which they hide from the taxman. They ignore bans on closed areas, poaching mollusks and crustaceans, and plundering the stocks that the three local fishermen's associations are dependent on.

They ship and sell fresh shellfish without first passing through health controls, ignoring the risk of shellfish toxicity that is especially common in scallops.

On a good day, they can make more than 1,000 euros on one dive, going down again on the next low tide, according to estimates by the patrollers who work for the local associations. "Poaching is their livelihood," explain the patrollers, who say they are tired of going to court over charges that never stick.

The poachers use sophisticated diving equipment, which can cost more than 2,000 euros, but they claim insolvency in order to avoid paying fines imposed by the regional government for diving without permission. If there is no catch, there is no crime; punishment is limited to an administrative sanction.

In 2008, four poachers were arrested in the first large-scale Civil Guard operation against the black market in toxic Ferrol scallops. At least two of the four men arrested became repeat offenders. They were caught for a second time on June 2 in an operation known as "Capacho." The poachers had been selling contaminated scallops to 11 restaurants and distributors in A Coruña and Pontevedra. A total of 22 people (six poachers, two wholesalers and 14 restaurant owners) have been charged with crimes against public health in this latest raid on the illegal shellfish market. Since the toxic scallop scare, poachers have switched to harvesting clams. They have gone from diving to seeking shelter in the cover of night, employing a number of measures to avoid capture. They are now more hidden than ever.