Costa Blanca

Marine Surveillance increases coastline patrols to protect posidonia seaweed

In order to safeguard posidonia seaweed, the Marine Surveillance Service examines 50,000 hectares of shoreline.

The Marine Surveillance Service of the Valencia region is currently surveying 50,000 hectares of coastline in an effort to preserve the posidonia meadows of the Valencian Community by creating a network to monitor marine species, ecosystems, and protected areas.

With the expansion of the surveillance network in 2024, this service—which is subordinate to the General Directorate of Natural and Animal Environment—has been present at sea for 810 days and has sailed more than 37,000 kilometres of the Valencian coastline, setting new records.

The largest deployment since the program’s inception in 2022, comprising a team of 19 marine professionals and eight vessels managed by the Ministry, is the surveillance device, as pointed out by Luis Gomis, Director General of Natural and Animal Environment.

Therefore, El Perelló, Dénia, Alcossebre, Oropesa del Mar, Xàbia, Calp, El Campello, and Torrevieja are the eight base ports from which the vessels embark for the work.

Two additional vessels will join the existing network of watchdogs in 2024 to do control and surveillance duties off the coasts of L’Albufera and Dénia. “This network for monitoring marine species, habitats and protected areas allows us to collect all the information of interest on nautical activity and to report on the ecological and regulatory importance associated with posidonia oceanica,” Luis Gomis stated.

In its three years of operation, the Marine Surveillance Service has successfully decreased the amount of anchors found in posidonia meadows. Environmental officials have also started boarding the service’s boats in September 2024 to report these breaches.

Five nautical clubs have begun a new initiative this year to disseminate regulations related to seagrass meadows: Club Náutico Oropesa del Mar, Marina El Portet in Dénia, Club Náutico in Moraira and El Campello, and the Real Club Náutico in Torrevieja.

Schedule for tracking

As part of the Posidonia monitoring plan’s presentation day in Alicante, the Spanish Department of Environment, Infrastructure, and Territory convened a group of specialists from throughout the country to assess the species’ situation in the Valencian Community.

The decline of our beaches, loss of biodiversity, and worsening water quality are all things that posidonia works to combat, as the head of the natural and animal environment directed attention to. “This species acts as a barrier against erosion, provides oxygen, and provides shelter for species of interest,” he continued.

Contamination by wastewater, hydrocarbons, and coastal building is a major threat to posidonia. Also, because people tend to anchor without thinking, water activities might lead to more direct attacks.

Preserving areas

Seagrass meadows, including Cymodocea nodosa meadows, are regulated for conservation in the Valencian Community by decree 64/2022. The Generalitat is designated as the entity responsible for surveillance, inspection, and control, and the necessity of a monitoring plan is contemplated in this decree.

Specifically, the conference-analyzed monitoring plan from 2024 defines a protocol for sampling places by depth ranges, from the beach to depths surpassing 25 meters, and investigates the conservation status of the Valencian Community’s meadows.

The project has enabled the creation of a network for monitoring the marine coastline and studying the nautical uses of each space in the Natura 2000 marine network. Researchers, law enforcement agents, and Maritime Rescue have received logistical support and technical advice from this network, thanks to the efforts of coastguards and environmental agents.

Our seagrass meadows “are currently in a good state of conservation, however, there is a wide margin for improvement in their recovery in those areas where they have been reduced or disappeared,” Gomis noted during this session. “It is our duty and our responsibility to redouble our efforts and work side by side towards this common goal,” he added, hence the reason.

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Sticky Vicky’s daughter quits mum’s iconic Benidorm show

Adhesive the stage act has been sensationally abandoned by Vicky’s daughter, who has followed in her late mother’s footsteps, thereby leaving behind her family’s Benidorm legacy.

The unexpected decision was made after María Gadea Aragón assumed responsibility for the adult-themed magic performances following the passing of her mother, Victoria María Aragón Gadea, in 2023 at the age of 80.

María, who had been employing her mother’s stage identity in the well-known Spanish resort, has now discontinued her performances after a decade on stage.

María performed frequently at venues including the Palladium, Zodiaco, and Rockerfellers, as well as Benidorm which is a popular destination for British expatriates and vacationers.

Des Bellamy-Wright, an employee at the Benidorm Palladium, verified that María is no longer employed in the lively Spanish city. Des stated, “Sticky Vicky is no longer operational in Benidorm.” The ‘Carmen Snake – Sticky Show’ is a similarly entertaining program that is broadcast every night at 12:45 a.m. “

The official reason for Maria’s retirement was not disclosed, and her final performance was in November 2024.

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Elche’s H&M shop closing

The Swedish retail chain H&M announced in 2024 that it would be reducing the number of stores and employment it has in Spain due to “organisational, productive, and economic” reasons. Around 50 layoffs were the result of the closure of stores in the L’Aljub retail centres in Elche, Ociopía in Orihuela, and Habaneras in Torrevieja, which had consequences for the province of Alicante.

Additionally, these were the sole instances in the Valencian Community that were impacted. The Torrevieja store was the first to shut its doors in May 2024 since that time. The Orihuela store was subsequently closed on September 14th of the same year. Currently, the Elche store has shuttered its doors. The facility was closed to the public on March 14th, following its final day of operation on March 11th. It will be entirely shut down on March 22nd. Approximately 20 employees are being laid off at this Elche store. It is the final establishment in the province of Alicante that will not reopen, and the circumstances of the dismissal were negotiated in October. The employees have departed the company with an agreement as a result of these negotiations, according to Yolanda de la Casa, the general secretary of the CCOO Services Federation in Alicante.

The dismissal terms that were established following the October negotiations were 45 days until 2012 and 33 days until the present. A gratuity of 3,500 euros was granted for the first five years, 4,000 euros for the next ten years, and a maximum of 4,500 euros for the subsequent years.

Furthermore, three relocations have occurred among the 50 individuals who were laid off in the province, spanning Elche, Orihuela, and Torrevieja. Lely Fernández of UGT l’Alacantí-La Marina informed this newspaper that these were part-time employees from the Habaneras shopping centre in Torrevieja who were transferred to the La Zenia shopping centre, which continues to operate and is accessible.

H&M initiated 2024 by announcing the closure of 28 stores and approximately 588 collective redundancies. The figure was reduced to 521 reductions in a subsequent revision.

The Torrevieja store closed its doors to the public on May 17th, 2024, and the lease expired on May 24th, never to be reopened. Nevertheless, numerous employees at this establishment were granted the opportunity to relocate to other nearby stores that were still operational. In September 2024, Ociopía followed suit, and Elche followed suit in March 2025.

The H&M group operates over 100 stores and employs nearly 4,000 individuals in the country. This decision was made by the Scandinavian company in order to “adapt and perfect” its stores in a “changing” shopping environment for its consumers. Additionally, Spain would be responsible for 17% of the brand’s global closures, as indicated by the data that the company disclosed months ago when it presented its 2023 financial year.

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Man stole fire extinguishers to sell as scrap metal

A 20-year-old male is currently under investigation by the Guardia Civil for the purported theft of ten fire extinguishers. The fire extinguishers were discovered by Seprona officers during an inspection of a scrap metal establishment in Torrevieja. The store manager and the criminal are both the subject of an investigation.

The fire extinguishers, which were in near-new condition and completely charged, were discovered by the Servicio de Protección a la Naturaleza (Seprona) officers during the inspection. The investigation was initiated due to the fact that this material is “uncommon” in this form of business, as explained by sources from the Armed Forces.

Upon discovering the fire extinguishers, the officers enquired about the scrapyard manager’s documentation regarding the extinguishers’ arrival. The manager responded that he did not possess any proof of ownership. Additionally, he disclosed that a woman and her son had abandoned them there without his permission.

The company responsible for maintaining the fire extinguishers was identified by Seprona officers after they analysed the evidence and proof acquired. This verified that the extinguishers were located in a building in Torrevieja. The missing equipment was reported by the property manager of this community of proprietors shortly thereafter.

Fire extinguishers were recovered

Officers were permitted to confiscate the fire extinguishers and transport them to the Torrevieja Civil Guard barracks as a result of the formal complaint. Upon verification of their origin, they were returned to their legitimate owners.

The individuals implicated have been identified as a result of the operation. The 20-year-old man who is supposed to have stolen the fire extinguishers is being investigated for theft, while the 23-year-old proprietor of the scrap yard is being investigated for receiving stolen goods.

The Guardia Civil emphasises the necessity of reporting these types of incidents and reminds all individuals of the significance of doing so. In order to prevent the acquisition of stolen material, scrap metal dealers must establish rigorous controls, such as document checks on sellers and items received.