Proposal for restructuring of the fisheries sector to be presented in 2017, says Gui Menezes
The Regional Secretary for the Sea, Science and Technology announced in Horta that the Government of the Azores will present a proposal for the restructuring of the regional fishing fleet during the first quarter of 2017, which "will be put to discussion with industry partners."
The restructuring of the sector is "a priority" for the Government of the Azores, Gui Menezes said, adding that there will be a "detailed assessment" of the number of boats on each island, the age vessel owners and fishers, the fishing practices used and the activity income.
The Regional Secretary for the Sea spoke on the sidelines of the first meeting with the Azores Fisheries Federation. The event also addressed matters regarding the red seabream, the closed season for this species in 2017 and the regulation of recreational fishing.
As for red seabream, Gui Menezes stressed "the need to review the management of the quota" for this species in order to "optimise the economic performance of this resource," defending the allocation of the quota per vessel." According to him, this measure will hold vessel owners responsible for managing their own quota."
The government official also announced that the data collection programme will carry out an assessment of recreational fishing in the Region, mentioning that the Government will develop a new proposal for an amendment to the regulation of this activity, which will be discussed with industry partners.
At the meeting, the Regional Secretary also proposed the "assignment of categories to POSEI support depending on the size of fish in order to discourage the catching of smaller fish," emphasising that this could be "an important measure to ensure the sustainability of resources."