Mist hangs over the lagoon like a heavy, damp cloth. It’s early March, just before midnight. André Morais squints and leans forward a bit. “What is that?” the commander of the marine police, looking at something silhouetted in the moonlight barely 100 metres ahead. He doesn’t wait for an answer from his law enforcement colleagues. “Turn off the lights.” A quick hand signal from the 45-year-old commands the boat skipper to steer closer to the target. Only the sonorous rumble of the boat’s engines and the lapping of waves break the tense silence.

In the black water directly in front of Morais’ bobbing boat is one of two marine protected areas (MPA) off the southern coast of Portugal. It was created in 2020, in the Ria Formosa lagoon, in a bid to save what was once the world’s densest seahorse population from extinction. Only environmentalists, the police and researchers from the University of the Algarve are allowed in these restricted no-fishing-zones. Nevertheless, nets and traps are constantly being set here – illegal activity that can come with a heavy price. Those caught engaging in illegal fishing in the area by Morais and his colleagues can face fines of up to 37,500 euros, or five years in prison.

With flashlights on as they approach the object, the officers identify what’s in front of them: no fishermen, just a buoy. The two police boats turn away, continuing their patrol in another part of the lagoon. Fruitless. Like all of his trips. Morais knows this. Spotters observe every movement around the police headquarters, using cell phones to alert their criminal colleagues as soon as they see officers move out. Deceptive manoeuvres, such as using civilian vehicles instead of police cars, rarely yield success. “Still, it’s important that we go out. Our presence alone deters many,” says Morais. For him, no time on the water is wasted time.

At 2am, Morais and his colleagues arrive back at the port in Olhão. Except for a few minor infractions, today’s patrol was quiet. Morais, like everyone here in the region, knows that doesn’t mean the problems of poaching and illegal fishing aren’t still out there. Sole and squid are regularly targeted by fishermen in the lagoon, as are gobies, bream and eels. The illegal fishers plough the seabed with bottom trawlers, just like a farmer ploughs a field. This untargeted, indiscriminate form of ‘fishing’ destroys entire ecosystems critical for keeping the lagoon healthy. It is also a process that is particularly damaging for seahorses and their natural habitats.