The Regional Secretary for the Sea, Science and Technology meets Monday, January 16, with the fishing associations from all islands of the archipelago and the Azores Fisheries Federation to debate the management of the red seabream quota for the next biennium in the Azores.
 
Gui Menezes pointed out that the meeting aims to "assess this fishery in 2016 and analyse the red seabream fishing opportunities for this year."
 
"The Government of the Azores intends, together with industry partners, to find the best way to achieve a consensus on the management and distribution of quota" for this species in the Region, said the government official.
 
For Gui Menezes, "the goal is to find the best way to increase the first sale price at auction and ensure more income for fishers."
 
The management of red seabream fishing, namely the allocation formula per island, the maximum amount of catch per vessel, the management of quotas per island and the quota allocated for each vessel, i.e., individual quotas will be the main topics under discussion at this meeting. It will also address the revision of the ordinance on the minimum catch size and closed season periods in force.
 
"At the end of the meeting, we hope to reach a broad consensus on the management of this fishery without putting into question its sustainability, ensuring an increase in the overall value we can get from this resource," said the Regional Secretary for the Sea. He added that the Government of the Azores intends to "continue the dialogue with industry partners in seeking the best solutions for the challenges the fishing sector faces."
 
In addition to discussion the red seabream fishing management, this meeting will also address the guidelines on regional policies for the sector.