The Regional Secretary for Natural Resources stressed in Horta the importance of the Azores Fisheries Observation Programme (POPA) to the sustainable management of resources and the promotion of marine products.

"We live in a period of greater importance to the Azores Sea. Now, more than ever, we need to consider and implement strategies that ensure the balance of marine ecosystems while diversifying the activities associated to them, with special emphasis on fisheries," said Luís Neto Viveiros.

Speaking at the opening session of the annual meeting and public presentation of the monitoring results of this programme, the Regional Secretary stressed that POPA "is a tool placed at our disposal to reach this goal." Moreover, it is also a "practical example of monitoring and certification of fisheries, especially tuna."

"The 'Dolphin Safe' and 'Friend of the Sea' certifications awarded through POPA ensure the viability for the promotion of the Azores processing industry. This is an important sector not only for a turnover over 50 million Euros a year, which generates a gross added value of ten million Euros annually, but also for the maintenance of 800 jobs," stressed the government official.

The Regional Secretary also mentioned that POPA has become "the body that provides crucial information for policy-makers, the Administration and researcher in order to study and manage regional marine resources within the European context."

This fact is mentioned in the Region's position in the context of the Fisheries Common Policy or in the production of scientific research that is included in the reports prepared by several working groups from various intergovernmental organizations such as ICCAT and ICES."

Luís Neto Viveiros also revealed the new partnership with Lotaçor to support observer and authorise their access to the Internet in all regional fish markets. The government noted "the importance of the programme in the progressive development of an interface (or bridge) that allows connecting fishers to the remaining actors in the fishing sector."

Available at the electronic address www.popaobserver.org, POPA was created in 1998 and is under the administration of the IMAR Centres at the University of the Azores. It is co-funded by the Government of the Azores and has several partners: Azores Canning Industry Association (Pão-do-Mar), Azores Association of Tuna Producers and Similar (APASA) and the non-government organisation - Earth Island Institute.

Being a fundamental tool in the monitoring of regional fisheries, through the boarding of observers on commercial fishing boats, the programme has gathered important scientific data on fisheries in the Azores Sea. According to the data collected, tuna fisheries reach five million records. It is the largest database of its kind in Europe.