The Government of the Azores is going to support the costs of the work accident and personal insurances up to the amount of 200 Euros per fisher onboard and per year.

The decision, which was announced by the Azorean Regional Undersecretary of Fishing at Parliament on Wednesday, is included in a 14 measure package to support the fisheries sector approved by the Government to “assure the social and economic potential of this activity.”

According to Marcelo Pamplona, the government, after activating the FUNDOPESCA this year, following the drop of income caused by bad weather, will re-evaluate the social protection mechanism of fishers in the end of this quarter “in order to determine whether such support is justified in the month of April.”

The Regional Under Secretary also promised that Reactivar-Pescas programme will start this year, an initiative that promotes the organisation of recovery and professional requalification courses addressed at fishers who temporarily cease the activity.

Addressed at a total of 250 fishers from the islands of S. Miguel and Terceira, this training course “will be held for a minimum period of 12 months and a maximum period of twenty months, during which a monthly scholarship, corresponding to the regional minimum wage, will be awarded to each fisher attending the course,” added the Under Secretary.

He also announced that the government will distribute a social security manual containing rules and procedures to the crews of the regional fishing so that they may benefit from social support schemes as well as from a retirement pension.

Marcelo Pamplona added that the access to a fishing occupation by a person who has not completed compulsory education is possible upon the successful completion of a professional course. This situation, said the Under Secretary, “will not only reduce costs in the fishing activity, but also to ensure the stability in the organisation of the crews of each vessel.”

Under the incentive system of to the local and coast fleet, the Regional Under Secretary said that the government will financially support young shipowners who desire to acquire fishing vessels already in operation.”

With this measure, “we will help shipowners under 40, by supporting 15% of the acquisition cost of vessels, second hand and already in operation in the Azores, up to a maximum of 50,000 Euros.”

As Marcelo Pamplona announced, the governmental incentives will also be extended to the owners who wish to “remove from the fleet local and coastal fishing vessels which are not licensed and do not have the adequate working and safety conditions.”

The renegotiation of the protocols to grant repayable loans to shipowners with banking institutions in order to extend the payment deadline from 7 to 10 years was another measured announced by the Under Secretary.

Regarding fishing exploitation, Marcelo Pamplona mentioned that the Government, in order to achieve a fishing history at a Community level, will temporarily transfer fishing gear for the catch of black scabbard fish and guarantee a purchase price at of 3 per kilo at the fish market in a quota to be defined.