The President of the Government of the Azores announced in Horta today that the Government will implement a plan to install more refrigerator and freezer equipments as well as ice production equipments in the port areas of the Region, in order t improve the quality of fish preservation, thus enhancing the production.”
Carlos César spoke at the ceremony to lay the first stone of 30 houses for fishing gear for the Horta fishers, an investment exceeding 700 thousand Euros.
According the President of the Regional Government, after the construction of the houses for fishing gear in the Archipelago to be concluded soon – over 650 in the end of 2009 – it is time to focus our investment efforts on fisheries in order to reinforce the fish preservation network.
Carlos César stressed, on the one hand, the Government’s determination to promote, in a joint effort with LOTAÇOR and with fishers, fairer payment methods for the first fish sale, since there is an enormous disparity between that price and the one paid by consumers, as a result of that situation, intermediaries are the ones who benefit from most of the profits.
In order to solve this problem, some experiences undertaken in some fish markets “have had positive outcomes, thus raising the prices of the first sale,” revealed the President.
Considering the sustainable fishing activity essential for the Azorean economy, Carlos César emphasised the Government’s commitment “to fight in European Union for the protection of our Exclusive Economic Zone” (EEZ).
Regarding this area, the President reminded the process to recovery the ZEE, defended by the Government among the EU courts is per se “an increase of the diplomatic influence of the Autonomous Region of the Azores, so that we may search for better mechanisms to defend our fishing patrimony.”
According to Carlos César, the extinction of some fishing gear which jeopardised the sustainability of the fishing resources and the official recognition of a specific marine region for the Macaronesia by the EU Commission were important milestones.