The Regional Secretariat for the Sea, Science and Technology, through the Regional Directorate for Fisheries, organises the First International Socioeconomic Forum on Azores Fisheries on March 22-23 in Praia da Vitória, Terceira Island.
 
This event will focus on the importance of community-based local development measures in the fisheries sector, disseminating about twenty successful projects implemented in several fishing communities throughout Europe.
 
Promoting the sharing of ideas and experiences, presenting solutions for creating alternative or complementary income to fishing are the main goals of this First International Socioeconomic Forum on Fisheries.
 
The event will involve the participation of promoters of good practices and members of the local action groups with projects already implemented in Mainland Portugal, Spain, Finland, Sweden, Denmark, the United Kingdom, Martinique, Guadeloupe, the Canary Islands and France.
 
The Regional Director for Fisheries pointed out that "the guest projects have been identified by each regional fishing association, making this forum a space for communication and dialogue among all."
 
"Associations are more than mere beneficiaries. They are the driving force in the organisation of the forum," said Luís Rodrigues.
 
The Regional Director also stated that this event will serve as a "platform for the creation of a network of contacts" with the aim of searching "income opportunities adjusted to the reality of each island of the archipelago."
 
Community-based Local Development intends to promote strategic and operational consultation between partners in specific territories, guiding its action towards entrepreneurship and job creation. This strategy is in line with the Partnership Agreement - Portugal 2020 - and within the framework of the Europe 2020 Strategy.
 
The Regional Government has encouraged the creation of these measures in the fisheries sector. They have an overall budget of three million Euros granted from the European Maritime and Fisheries Fund (EMFF).
 
The creation of Local Action Fishing Groups (LAG Fishing) will lead to the emergence of initiatives in the Azorean fishing communities that the potential of increasing the income of fishers through complementary activities to fishing.
 
The ORFISH project is another topic to be addressed at this meeting. This European project is directed towards local development in Outermost Regions that arises from the strategic decision for sustainability under the new Common Fisheries Policy. It intends to implement a series of initiatives aimed at the diversification of fishing activities.
 
There will also be a more scientific panel dedicated to the socioeconomic aspects of the sector. It will mainly focus on the regional fishing community, where a socioeconomic study and a sociodemographic study are being conducted; both are funded by the Azorean Government.
 
Participation in the First International Socioeconomic Forum on Azores Fisheries, to be held at the Youth Academy, is open to all interested parties. However, it is subject to prior registration and the number of vacancies available.
 
In this context, those who are interested in participation should register until March 20 at the emails [email protected] and [email protected].