The Regional Secretariat for the Sea, Science and Technology, through the Regional Directorate for Fisheries, is proceeding to the payment of FUNDOPESCA aid to 720 professionals, including fishers, vessel owners and shore-based workers; the sum amounts to 203 thousand Euros.
 
The Azores Fishing Professionals' Salary Compensation Fund, commonly known as FUNDOPESCA, was activated in February based on the analysis of unloads registered during the month of January. In this context, the Administrative Board of FUNDOPESCA has unanimously decided to stipulate the amount of support to be allocated to fishers due to income drop at 292.43 Euros.
 
The Regional Director noted that there has been an income drop of 35% on 15 days in a 30-day period when compared with the daily arithmetic average in the same period of time over the last three years; for that reason, it was decided to activate this salary compensation fund for fishers.
 
Luís Rodrigues stressed that, following the activation of FUNDOPESCA in the amount equivalent to 50% of the regional minimum wage, "fishing professionals submitted a total of 988 applications, which corresponded to 288 vessels; 720 application were approved covering 247 vessels."
 
The period for submission of applications to FUNDOPESCA ran until March 10. They were analysed in accordance with the eligibility criteria established for the period concerned: the exercise of fishing activities on an exclusive basis; payment of Social Security contributions by fishers; minimum of 50 unloads or a minimum amount of 7,500 Euros of unloads in auction by local fishing boats and divers; minimum of 30 unloads or a minimum amount of 25,000 Euros of unloads in auction by coastal fishing vessels.
 
In the cases when fishers also benefits from other compensation measures, the amount allocated under FUNDOPESCA will be adjusted so that this sum and the remaining support does not exceed the amount of 877.28 Euros, i.e., 1.5 times the monthly minimum wage.
 
FUNDOPESCA was created in 2002 with the purpose of providing a financial compensation to fishers when they are prevented from working in certain situations
 
The new legal framework, which came into effect last year, provides that the drop of income is a criterion for the activation of this financial support mechanism to industry professionals.