The Regional Director for Fisheries stated in Ponta Delgada that "extractive activities on the sea, such as fishing, are not the only ones that disturb marine ecosystems," regretting that human beings have transformed oceans into a "dustbin."
 
Luís Rodrigues stressed that "80% of marine debris is of terrestrial origin," but added that "fishing and maritime activity, such as the transport of goods and passengers, produce waste."
 
The Regional Director spoke on the sidelines of the delivery of good waste management practices award on board Azorean tuna seiners under the "Zero Waste in the Azores Sea 2016-2017" project.
 
Luís Rodrigues stressed that the interest of this initiative lies in the "monitoring procedures for waste management produced on board tuna seiner" with the awareness of fishers and vessel owners. He also highlighted the importance of "monitoring floating debris" by the Azores Fisheries Observation Programme (POPA).
 
This project is "essential" for obtaining information on the ocean floating debris, in particular as regards the distribution and type of macro-waste floating in the sea around the archipelago, added the Regional Director.
 
This information is collected through six 10-minute daily registers for each garbage sighting.
 
The Regional Director for Fisheries also stressed the importance of this initiative, which has been carried out for the past three years, in raising the awareness of the fishing industry for best practices in waste management on board tuna seiners in the Azores.
 
The contest involved the participation of 12 tuna seiners. The initiative was intended to distinguish the highest classified vessels with an ecological label (eco-label), which are entitled to bear and advertise for one year.
 
In addition to the award, the vessels also won non-monetary prizes.
 
This year, three vessels were placed first - "Rei dos Açores," "Lontra Marinha" and "Milão."
 
Luís Rodrigues stated that this programme will be continued in coming years and be extended to other fisheries. He added that it represents an important contribution "to achieve the environmental targets set out for the Azores" under the Marine Strategy Framework Directive.
 
The "Zero Waste in the Azores Sea" project falls within the Action Plan for Marine Litter in the Azores. It is promoted by the Regional Directorate for Fisheries, the Association of Tuna Producers and Similar Species (APASA), the Institute of Marine Research and Department of Oceanography and Fisheries (UAç), the Regional Directorate for Sea Affairs and the Azores Sea Observatory.