The Regional Fisheries Council, an advisory body of the Regional Secretariat for the Sea, Science and Technology, meets in Horta on March 13 to discuss measures for the sector under the Fisheries Restructuring Plan.
Following the assessment carried out to the sector in 2017, the Regional Secretary for the Sea announced that "new measures will be presented to the members of the council." They are developed by the Government of the Azores with the aim of "continuing to ensure the ecological, economic and social sustainability" of the sector.
According to Gui Menezes, the meeting will address topics concerning the increase of fishers' income, the promotion of fish products, the mobility of fishing professional among fleet segments, vocational training and the support for the permanent cessation of fishing activity.
The importance of "carefully managing" marine resources subject to quotas, the control and surveillance in fisheries and the new legislative management measures will be also under discussion.
The Regional Secretary for the Sea states that these measures "will be the subject of a broad discussion with the sector in order to safeguard marine resources, thus ensuring the maintenance of sustainability factors. Consequently, they will ensure continuity of fishing, an activity of considerable relevance that generates employment in the Region."