A fisherman died early this morning after his boat capsised near Armona Island off the coast of Olhão.
A second fisherman was plucked from the waters and later was said to be in a stable condition in Faro hospital.
The news was relayed by the captain of Olhão port, Nunes Ferreira, who said that the strong south-easterly winds and adverse waves forced the boat onto a sandbank where it floundered and capsized.
Both men, in their 40s, had set out from the port of Olhão to collect bivalves when the boat ran into trouble.
Two nearby fishing boats came to help but the first man was found to be dead when he was hauled from the sea. The surviving fisherman was taken to Faro hospital where he was assessed and said to be in a stable condition.
Ferreira said that ambulance service personnel tried to resucitate the first man but he remained lifeless.
The early morning accident was almost certainly due to the strong winds coupled with an adverse tide whcih caused the boat to capsise.
The Minister of Agriculture and Sea, Assunçao Crestas, was on a visit to the harbor of Povoa de Varzim when she was informed of the fatal accident off Armona and commented that she regretted the news and advised the national fishing community not to "risk it when there are adverse weather conditions at sea," and sent a message of condolence to the victim’s family.
The authorities started an operation to recover the boat but had to leave it until tomorrow due to impending nightfall and continuing poor sea conditions.
The Minister said today that the next state budget includes funding for dredging in the fishing ports affected by siltation.
Crestas said the Government had invested €750,000 this year on dredging at the Port of Povoa de Varzim.
In the meantime, the Algarve’s ports of Faro, Portimão and the Ria Formosa natural area wait for dredging that has been promised so many times over so many years that no one believes it will ever happen.
What is happening in terms of government expenditure is the call for quotes in Diario da Republica for the demolition of fishermens' houses on nearby Farol island. The budget, a mere €2.25 million, money the lcoals say is better spent on dredging the access routes in and out of the Ria Formosa area to help avoid further accidents due to boats hitting sand bars at speed.
