The President of the Government marked the National Maritime Day with a meeting with students from Vila Franca do Campo Basic Education and Secondary School. It was an opportunity to challenge young Azoreans to take an interest in this resource to overcome the challenges of knowledge, management and sustainability.
 
"If you are not interested in what the Azores Sea is, it is not worth it. Because this is a heritage that is not ours. It was passed on to us by our parents and grandparents and we now have the responsibility to pass it on to our children and grandchildren as best as we can," said Vasco Cordeiro.
 
On the third and final day of the Government's visit to São Miguel, the President of the Government began by pointing out that the Azores Sea is about one million square kilometres, covering an area roughly identical to that occupied by France and Germany together.
 
"This gives a good idea of what the Azores represent in terms of maritime area. More than half of the national maritime area corresponds to the Azores Sea. About 30 percent of the European Exclusive Economic Zone is located here in the Azores," said Vasco Cordeiro.
 
Vasco Cordeiro emphasised that, over the centuries, the Azores Sea was "more than a frontier, it was a horizon for the Azoreans." In this regard, the development of an in-depth knowledge on this resource is one of our major challenges.
 
"We have already taken important steps in this area. One of the most prestigious centres in the world for deep-sea research is installed at the University of the Azores on the island of Faial," the President of the Government recalled, noting that the Atlantic Observatory and the new Azores Maritime School will be installed on this island.
 
"The second challenge concerns the establishment of rules in the Azores Sea and those responsible for them," said the President of the Government. According to him, the efforts undertaken by the Region for more than 40 years have yielded solid results in the management of fishing results.
 
"This does not mean that everything is done. After defining who sets the results, the challenge now leads to how these rules are enforced in an area of about one million km2," stated Vasco Cordeiro.
 
If it is not possible to implement and enforce these rules with the resources from our country alone, a solution may be achieved through partnerships and agreements with countries and international organisations to safeguard this essential resource for the Azores.
 
In this meeting with young people from Vila Franca do Campo, Vasco Cordeiro also mentioned the sea sustainability challenge, which concerns the preservation of resources while putting them at service of the Azorean people in wealth generation and employment creation.