“The process that led to the creation of this marine park was neither consensual nor democratic. We have been ignored. We are very affected and we want to be heard”, said the president of the Quarteira Fishermen's Association (QUARPESCA), Hugo Martins, to Lusa agency.

The association comprises 140 boats from Quarteira, of which around 50 operate regularly in the area that is now proposed for the implementation of the park.

The protest, which will feature 50 boats, to which others can join, namely from the ports of Olhão and Albufeira, will take place on Saturday from 10:00 am and will travel along the Algarve coast from Quarteira to Olhos de Água (Albufeira).

The Pedra do Valado Marine Natural Park is the largest coastal rocky reef in mainland Portugal, which extends along the coastal zone between the municipalities of Lagoa and Albufeira, covering a total area of over 150 km2.

The proposed classification of the Marine Natural Park of Recife do Algarve (PNMRA) was approved in early June and its public consultation ended on August 4th.

The fishermen criticise, among other issues, the financial compensation mechanism, which was one of the factors blocking the project.

Hugo Martins regretted that the amounts at stake were not revealed.

“The public consultation document is empty and has no ideas, we know nothing. Many things previously spoken are not referred to”, he said, criticizing the lack of response to a presentation presented by QUARPESCA.