"It's all work."The phrase, with a good load of resignation, was pronounced this week by María José Vales, the mayor of Vilanova.She was talking, of course, about the summer: these hot months in which the shellfish workers see how life gets complicated for them.Although in Vilanova the problem of swimsuit poaching is not as serious as in A Illa, to give the closest example, the shellfish gatherers must organize themselves to carry out surveillance.And there are also the algae invasions that force them to intense cleaning days.So yes: for this group, in summer "it's all work."And that is something we should keep in mind when we go to the beach.Because, as swimmers, there are things that we can and should do not to help the shellfish gatherers —that too—, but simply to be respectful of the environment and the work that hundreds of women carry out on the Arousana coast.You have to call it poaching. This Thursday, the Regional Minister of the Sea, Rosa Quintana, presented an awareness campaign in O Grove that will be rolled out on the beach for another summer to report on the pernicious effects of swimsuit poaching.In A Illa, the Sensimar a Pé de Praia program has been holding workshops for weeks with the rapazada that is found in the sandbanks to explain to them why shellfish should not be collected.«Aínda que só collas unha paz, imagine what would happen if the whole world went to praia fixera or even », explains Bibiana García.Her message reaches both her young audience and family members who act as companions.«There is nothing wrong with coller unha ameixa to see how he is.But logo has to be buried again », says Bibiana, who assures that the intention is that the minors act as disseminators of the message among their families.«They have to know that, even if they find them there, in the sea, the girls are not from all over the world.Or shellfishing implies doing sowing, limpezas... É moito more than fixing or shellfish », argues Bibiana.Don't leave anything behind.There is no problem eating or having a snack on the beach, unless, of course, you do not properly collect the rubbish you generate.All.Clearly, plastic wrappers and utensils are the items you should pay the most attention to.But even organic debris has no place on the beach.This is explained by the campaign "Enjoy the beach without leaving a trace" carried out by Afundación within the framework of the Plancton programme.“Fruit peels are out of place on the beach.They should not be buried in the sand, because they alter the balance of the ecosystem”, explains the exhibition that, after passing through A Toxa, will now reach A Illa to stop later in Vilagarcía.A similar message is sent by Sensimar: «O lixo that is xera hai that collect it and deposit it in the nearest collectors.E se non hai, take it to the casiña, just like or trouxemos: it will occupy the same less space».Nothing must be left behind.And if you have the chance to take something you find lying around, much better.Among all, keeping the environment clean is much easier.Caption.Firm Plancton warns of the increase in cigarette butts and microplastics found in the cleaning of A Lanzada Mónica IragoThe sand doesn't want them.The war against cigarette butts on the beaches of Arousa began more than twenty years ago and although it is far from being won, it seems that awareness of the environmental problem generated by this waste has been increasing little by little.The handouts of portable ashtrays are common in campaigns such as the one that Afundación inaugurated last Sunday in O Grove and that today arrives in Carreirón.Is there a choice between health and the environment?Absolutely not.Health authorities remind us that it is essential to protect ourselves from solar radiation.But we must be aware that, when bathing, the cream leaves residues in the sea that can be very harmful to the environment, as the Afundación-Plancton campaign reminds us.“Chemical residues, when accumulated in fish, cetaceans, molluscs and crustaceans, can cause malformations and damage to their immune and reproductive systems.These residues also hinder the growth and photosynthesis of algae, which are essential organisms for a healthy ecosystem."So what can we do?Well, basically, use the creams with sentidiño, applying them to our skin at least 30 minutes before getting into the water.Smearing ourselves with cream just before going to take a bath is not good for the environment, nor for the skin itself, which does not have time to absorb the substances that must protect it from the most dangerous burden of the sun's rays.Also, when you go to buy sun protection, look at the label and, if possible, avoid those products that contain the most harmful elements.The list of substances to avoid is long: Oxybenzone, Octinoxate, Octocrylene, Benzophenone... The list is long, but it is worth bearing in mind when we go shopping: the more people who do it, the better.Walks at low tide.When the tide is low and the beach is very crowded, the area where the bivalves are usually found ends up completely trampled.And anyone can imagine that's not good for the shellfish that grows down there.Try to avoid walks in that area;it is a small gesture that may not cost too much to do: it is at our feet.© Copyright LA ​​VOZ DE GALICIA SA Polígono de Sabón, Arteixo, A CORUÑA (SPAIN) Registered in the Mercantile Registry of A Coruña in Volume 2438 of the Archive, General Section, on pages 91 and following, page C-2141.CIF: A-15000649.