Kilos of urchin pulp preserved without labels and specimens caught illegally because they are "undersized" . All preserved without any respect for hygiene standards : ghost labels, impossible product traceability and, in one case, the goods hidden inside a manhole to escape checks . This is part of the budget of the Forestry Corps operation to protect the sea urchin and consumers carried out between Cagliari and Quartu.

In total , 21 businesses including restaurants, fishmongers and street vendors were checked and 11 kg of illegally packaged sea urchin pulp, 3,000 undersized specimens and 12 kg of fish were seized . 9 administrative violations were reported for 22 thousand euros, 2 were reported for the occupation of public land. The operation was concentrated in the two cities, the major sea urchin marketing centers on the island. The intervention, aimed at both protecting the sea and food hygiene, was carried out by the Naval Bases of Cagliari and Villasimius and by various departments coordinated by the Cagliari Inspectorate Service.

In detail, 3 kilos of pulp - the origin of which was unknown and the labeling omitted - were seized in two restaurants in Cagliari . The specimens instead, almost 3 thousand and all smaller than the permitted size, in 3 traveling stands. One of the sellers, on the Quartu coast, kept the pulp in a cooler, hidden in a manhole . When necessary, depending on the needs of the customers, he collected the jars . All to evade controls and avoid seizure . Furthermore, during the operation, 12 kilos of frozen fish were seized from a restaurant in the capital, the origin of which is unknown.

It is important to know that even the purchase of packs of illegally caught sea urchins makes the consumer responsible for the violation together with the trader; the sanctions in the most serious cases are 2000 euros.

(Unioneonline/vf)

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