The Regional Secretary for the Sea, Science and Technology assured today that the Regional Government will carry out works to redevelop the Lajes das Flores refrigerator storage unit in order to ensure the conservation and, consequently, the enhancement of the fish caught by Flores fishers.
 
"In view of the current context and the reality of fishing on the island of Flores," we plan to install a freezing tunnel with daily capacity of six tonnes. This solution has been agreed on between the Regional Government and Flores fishers. We also intend to build "a small air-conditioned room, suitably equipped, for the processing of fresh fish and packaging," Gui Menezes.
 
The Regional Secretary spoke during a visit to this fishing support infrastructure, as part of the Government's statutory visit to Flores. According to him, the redevelopment works, whose procedures begin in 2018, will boost the "freezing capacity of the island when, for example, there is an increase in the unloading of tuna."
 
Gui Menezes stressed that the Government of the Azores "has invested in the refrigerator network of Flores Island," pointing the acquisition of a new ice machine by Lotaçor and the adaptation of a container to function as an ice storage silo in Poças Port.
 
These investments have enabled Flores fishers to increase the daily ice production capacity by two tonnes and the storage capacity by eight tonnes since February this year.
 
This morning, the Regional Secretary for the Sea also visited the Ponta Delgada Fishing Port in the municipality of Santa Cruz and the Fishing Centre of Lajes.