A group of superstitious fishermen have claimed that the noticeably low number of fish in the waters around La Palma in the past year was a sign that the Cumbre Vieja volcano was about to erupt.

The Cumbre Vieja volcano on the Canary Island of La Palma has now been spewing lava for 12 days and on Wednesday, 29th September, the lava flow hit the headlines when it made contact with the sea.

The eruption has wreaked havoc on the island, damaging 744 buildings, completely destroying at least 656, and causing an estimated EUR 206 million (GBP 178 million) in damage.

The island’s infrastructure has also been battered with 23.1 kilometres (14.6 miles) of road damaged and 21.5 kilometres (13.6 miles) completely destroyed.

Fishermen on the island told reporters that the fish knew the cataclysmic event was coming well in advance.

Local fishermen said that for over a year now, the number of fish in the waters surrounding the island has been unusually low.

One fisherman, name not reported, told the news site Antena 3: “I noticed the change all the way back in January. You completely stopped seeing mackerel and chicharro.”

They claim that the fish could feel the eruption was coming as the activity was causing the water to warm around the island.

Whether there is any truth to this theory remains to be seen, but the fisherman and their families on the island have suffered a serious economic hit as a result of the eruption.

Antena 3 claims that over 150 families depend directly on the fishing industry in La Palma and, due to the eruption, dozens of fishermen have been unable to work for nearly two weeks.

For every day that a fishing vessel spends in the harbour, between EUR 2,000 and EUR 3,000 (GBP 1,719 and 2,578) is lost.

According to official statistics, the eruption began on 19th September at 3.13 pm local time and at least 10,000 people have been evacuated as of 30th September.