The Regional Secretary for the Sea, Science and Technology highlighted today the importance of the Condor project for "good management of fish resources in the Azores, especially demersal species."
 
Gui Menezes defended the need for "a closed area such as the Condor Bank to increase our knowledge and turn it into a reference in the management of resources," stressing that the scientific experience on this seamount "provides a significant contribution."
 
Speaking on the sidelines of the first meeting of the Condor Project Working Group, where the results of the last on-the-spot campaign were presented, the Regional Secretary said there are "interesting new data on the tagging of some species," namely red seabream, blackbelly rosefish and stone bass.
 
According to Gui Menezes, these data provide "a better understanding of the movements and dynamics" of these species, adding that "they are of incalculable importance for fishing activities."
 
"Without knowing in detail the behaviours and ecology of these species, we will hardly be able to carry out a good management of fisheries, namely demersal fishing in the Azores," stressed the government official.
 
The meeting gathered researchers of the Department of Oceanography and Fisheries of the University of the Azores and fishing associations of Faial and Pico. There were several issues under discussion, including "possible corrections in the management and monitoring" of the area as well as the methodologies to be used in the future.
 
The Regional Secretary pointed out that researchers intend to install more equipment at the Condor Bank under a "bigger European project" designated as EMSO - European Multidisciplinary Seafloor and water-column Observatory
 
According to Gui Menezes, the maintenance of the fishing ban on that seamount "has also advantages." The government official added that the matter will be addressed later this year with the fishing industry and other players.
 
The Regional Secretary stated that "the scientific interest of the area is clearly of prime importance and has repercussion on fishing," stressing the importance of "thinking in the long term".
 
Demersal fishing was banned in 2010 in the Condor Bank, an area "with over one kilometre in height and an extension of 26 kilometres in length, located about 10 miles from the island of Faial.
 
At the end of 2014, the ban on fishing with certain types of fishing gear was extended for another three years on this submarine bank, where a permanent observation station was installed in 2008 to collect detailed information on the ecology of demersal species.
 
The annual monitoring campaign on the Condor seamount begins in September/October this year, with the support of the Government of the Azores.